13 


ADDRESS 


IN   COMMEMORATION    OF 


THE   TWO-HUNDKEDTH  ANNIYEESART 


THE  INCORPORATION  OF  LANCASTER, 


MASSACHUSETTS 


y 


By    JOSEPH    WILLARD. 


lE&it^  an  ^ppmUi:, 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN  AVILSON  &  SON, 

22,  School  Street. 

1853. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 
JOHN   WILSON   AND    SON, 

In  the  Clerk's  OfiSce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


i.  I .  UBPvAHY 

10     U^^  SAI^^rA  BARBAIIA 


RESOLUTIONS,   ETC. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  appointed  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
Celebration  of  the  Two-hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Incorporation  of  the 
Town  of  Lancaster,  held  Dec.  20,  1852,  — 

Voted,  To  invite  Joseph  Willard,  Esq.,  to  deliver  the  Addi-ess  upon  the 
occasion  of  the  Celebration. 

JOHN    M.  WASHBURN,  Secretary. 


Lancaster,  Dec.  21,  1852. 
Joseph  Willard,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  tx-ansmit  to  you  the  annexed  Vote, 
passed  last  evening  -with  perfect  unanimity.  Permit  me  to  express  the  hope 
that  it  will  suit  your  convenience  to  comply  Avith  the  Avishes  of  the  Commit- 
tee, and  that  you  -will  authorize  me  so  to  state  at  their  next  meeting,  which 
takes  place  on  the  27th  inst.  The  15th  day  of  June,  1853,  is  fixed  upon  for 
the  Celebration. 

Respectfully  yoiu-  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  M.  WASHBURN. 


Boston,  Dec.  31,  1852. 

Gentlemen,  —  I  have  received  your  in\dtation  "to  deliver  the  Addi-es.s 
upon  tlie  occtision  of  the  Celebration  of  the  Two-lmiulredth  Anniversary  of 
the  Incor2)oration  of  the  Town  of  Lancaster."  Accept  my  thanks  for  tliis 
unexpected  honor. 

I  have  delayed  luy  answer,  doubting  whether  1  could  ade<iuately  ri'pre- 
sent  the  occasion.      From  the  interest,  however,  that  I  firl  in  \.\\v  history 


IV  RESOLUTIONS,    ETC. 

and  prosjjcrity  of  the  old  town  of  Ijancastcr,  —  sometime  my  residence,  — 
I  have  been  induced  to  i)ut  aside  all  question,  and  to  accept  your  very  kind 
invitation. 

I  am,  Gentlemen, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

JOSEPH  WILLARD. 

To  the  Committee  of  Arranoements  for  the 
Celebration  of  the  Two-hundredth  Anni- 
versary of  the  Incorporation  of  the  Town 
of  Lancaster. 


Lancaster,  June  20,  1853. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  for  the  Celebration  of  the 
Two-hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Incorporation  of  Lancaster,  — 

Voted,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Committee  be  tendered  to  Joseph  Willard, 
Esq.,  for  his  learned  and  eloquent  Address,  delivered  on  the  loth  instant; 
and  that  a  copy  be  requested  for  the  press. 

JOHN   M.  WASHBURN,  Secretary. 


Whiie  remarking  upon  the  early  settlers  in  Lancaster,  iind  those  traits  in 
their  character  from  which  the  elements  of  success  in  the  present  prosperous 
condition  of  the  town  have  been  derived,  it  would  have  been  very  gratifying 
to  the  writer  of  the  Address  to  give  sketches,  somewhat  in  detaU,  of  a  num- 
ber of  the  inhabitants  who  have  been  particvdarly  distinguished  as  citizens 
of  wholesome  influence  in  private  and  social  life,  and,  in  a  wider  sphere, 
in  pubhc  office,  both  civil  and  nulitary.  The  general  train  of  rellection,  in 
coming  down  to  the  settlement  of  the  town,  would  have  easUy  led  to  these 
delineations ;  thus  carrying  out  the  full  plan.  But  the  limits  of  an  address, 
and  the  very  considerable  additional  time  and  labor  required  to  collect  the 
materials  for  the  proposed  sketches,  —  which,  it  is  believed,  would  form  an 
interesting  and  instructive  portion  of  a  history  of  Lancaster,  —  rendered  it 
necessary  to  relinquish  the  design. 


The  2)recise  day  for  this  Celebration,  after  correcting  the  culendiu'  trom 
old  to  new  style,  would  have  been  May  28,  1853.  But  as  the  ti-ue  day  fell 
upon  Satiu-day,  and  also  in  "  Anniversary  week,"  it  Avas  thought  best  to 
postpone  the  Celebration ;  and  Wednesday,  June  15,  was  selected,  for  tlie 
reason  stated  on  page  119. 

The  brief  space  of  a  day,  or  rather  of  that  portion  of  a  day  intervening 
between  the  beginning  of  the  services  at  the  chiu-ch,  —  wliich  were  unex- 
pectedly delayed  about  an  hour  beyond  the  appointed  time,  —  and  the  leaving 
of  the  different  railroad  trains  several  hours  before  sunset,  rendered  it  ncccs- 


VI 


Siiry  to  omit  portions  of  the  Address,  and  also  some  of  the  matters  contained 
in  the  Ajipendix,  which  arc  now  all  printed  in  full. 

The  Publisliing  Committee  may  not  have  included  in  the  Appendix  all 
which  properly  belongs  to  it.  They  can  only  say,  that  they  have  used,  in  the 
exorcise  of  their  best  judgment,  the  materials  with  which  they  have  been 
furnished.  On  page  158,  the  meaning  intended  is,  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hill  is 
a  native  of  Harvard ;  and,  though  it  may  not  be  mistaken,  yet  the  statement, 
according  to  its  present  grammatical  reading,  is  incorrect.  A  portion  of  what 
is  referred  to  on  page  197,  as  having  been  said  by  a  previous  speaker,  will 
not  be  foimd  in  liis  remarks  as  they  now  stand,  and  was  omitted  in  the  copy 
wliich  he  prepared  for  the  printers. 


ADDRESS. 


ADDRESS. 


Having  been  called  by  your  committee  to  take  part  in  this 
celebration,  it  was  not  "without  some  self-distrust,  and  until 
after  some  deliberation,  that  I  accepted  the  invitation.  There 
are  times  when  an  invitation  from  authority  is  of  the  nature 
of  a  command ;  and,  having  in  time  past  taken  some  interest 
in  the  well-being  of  this  town,  and  ever  rejoicing  in  its  pros- 
perity, I  venture  to  meet  every  hazard,  and  engage  with 
you  in  this  day's  proceedings. 

Citizens  of  Lancaster,  —  descendants  of  the  early  planters 
now  dwelling  in  these  pleasant  places,  —  and  you,  who,  your 
lot  being  cast  elsewhere,  are  now  present,  coming  from  hill- 
side and  valley,  from  city  and  field,  from  the  pursuits  of 
private  life  or  the  cares  of  public  station, — in  the  name  of 
the  past  I  bid  you  welcome.  The  past  welcomes  you  as  you 
come  hither  with  a  reverential  feeling  for  your  own  birth- 
place, or  the  burial-fields  of  your  ancestors,  —  those  humble, 
but  honest  and  enterprising,  pioneers  of  civilization  in  this 
then  distant  plantation. 


2  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

And  very  fitting  it  is  to  turn  aside  from  daily  cares  and 
daily  labor,  and  devote  one  day  in  a  century  to  reflections  on 
the  past,  to  the  gladsome  enjoyment  of  the  present,  and  to 
the  indulgence  of  hopeful  anticipations  for  the  future. 

Tliis  is  no  idle,  ceremonious  observance.  It  is  connected 
with  a  wide  association  of  sentiment.  It  has  regard  to 
ancestral  feeling.  It  is  wholly  conservative  in  its  influence. 
The  sentiment  has  its  place  in  the  bosom  of  every  true-hearted 
man,  however  humble  or  however  exalted,  —  in  all  untrav- 
elled  hearts,  many  of  which,  I  trust,  are  now  throbbing  in 
these  seats. 

We  admit  the  power  of  this  great  law  of  association,  and 
joyfully  submit  to  its  control  as  it  kindly  draws  us  to  ances- 
tral homes.  It  binds  nations  and  people.  The  Jew  could 
not  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  when  he  turned 
in  thought  to  holy  Jerusalem.  The  poor  Indian  longs  again 
for  his  free,  unhoused"  condition  in  the  home  of  his  fathers, 
rendered  desolate  in  his  eyes  by  the  refinements  of  civilized 
life.  The  African  sings  his  lament  in  the  house  of  his 
drearv  bondage.  The  native  of  refined  Europe  or  America, 
separated  by  business  or  necessity  from  the  haunts  of  his 
youth,  looks  back  upon  them  with  reverential  regard,  and 
approaches  them  again  with  trembling  delight. 

But  this  law,  at  certain  periods  of  life,  loses  its  hold. 
Youth,  with  an  ambition  of  enlarged  condition,  and  impatient 
of  restraint,  bursts  away  from  the  quiet  of  our  peaceful  \dllages 
to  seek  wealth  or  distinction  in  crowded  walks,  where  conflict 
is  the  severest,  and  toil  the  most  straining ;  and  tugs  and  vies 
with  others  in  the  race,  till  he  seems  to  have  forgotten  his 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  O 

bii'thplace  with  its  simple  pleasures  and  enjoyments.  But 
not  so.  As  the  deep  seminal  religious  principle,  early 
implanted,  will  bui'st  forth  in  declining  years,  however  over- 
laid in  time  of  vigorous  health  and  active  powers,  —  seemingly 
for  ever  dead  and  buried,  —  so  the  right-minded  man,  when 
the  battle  of  life  is  on  the  wane,  revives  again,  and  tuins 
with  tender  ajffection  to  the  recollection  of  early  scenes. 
Scenes,  that  had  faded  and  vanished,  again  prove  real.  The 
voices  of  the  past  lead  him  with  their  fond  memories,  as  the 
little  cliild  leads  the  loving  parent ;  and  he  comes,  as  you 
now  come,  with  the  tribute  of  his  affection,  to  hang  hin 
votive  offering  in  these  temples  of  his  early  love. 

Again  I  welcome  you  to  this  chosen  spot,  at  this  auspi- 
cious season,  when  all  nature  has  clothed  this  beautiful 
valley  in  richest  attire,  with  all  the  charms,  of  new  life,  amid 
genial  scenes,  and  in  a  time  of  marvellous  public  and  private 
prosperity. 

The  time  for  your  commemoration  is  aptly  chosen  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-three.  For 
though  somewhat  more  than  two  centuries  have  elapsed  since 
the  white  man  first  traced  the  furrow  and  sowed  the  seed  in 
these  broad  acres,  and  though  less  than  two  centuiies  have 
elapsed  since  tlje  full  privileges  of  a  town  were  first  be- 
stowed upon  the  early  planters  by  the  colonial  authorities,  the 
anniversary  of  their  actual  organization  as  a  municipal  body, 
with  the  general  functions  of  a  body  corporate,  is  in  accord- 
ance with  the  usual  practice  in  these  celebrations,  and  is  in 
fact  the  only  definite  point  of  time  from  wliich  to  take  our 
departure. 


4  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Two  hundred  years  ago  !  when  the  veil  had  been  partially- 
lifted,  and  light  was  pouring  in  from  every  quarter ;  when 
the  thick  darkness  which  had  long  brooded  over  the  nations 
had  not  wholly  disappeared,  —  nay,  which  still  lingejs  in  the 
high  places  of  civilization ;  when  the  eyes  were  turned  to 
the  brightness  of  moriiing  out  of  theii*  broken  slumbers,  but 
still  so  dazzled  and  confused  that  objects  passed  and  repassed 
as  in  a  clouded  vision,  with  indistinctness  of  form  and  out- 
line, —  at  this  time,  when  intellectual  nature  was  paying 
homage  to  its  Maker,  and  fresh  beauties  were  beginning  to 
gladden  the  soul ;  and,  in  sad  contrast,  the  great  principle  of 
toleration,  still  so  imperfectly  comprehended  in  its  entire 
meaning,  was  dreaded  for  its  danger,  or  scouted  for  its  folly, 
—  at  this  time,  the  large  narrative  of  your  municipal  history 
finds  its  beginning. 

•  And  what,  at  that  time,  was  the  history  of  Europe  ?  For 
Asia,  in  its  stereotyped  condition,  and  Africa,  that  great 
historical  phenomenon,  still  remained  in  the  dead  past, 
involving  Egypt  in  darkness  for  ages  after  it  had  performed 
its  distinguished  part  in  transmitting  art  and  learning  from 
the  remote  East,  thi'ough  Greece,  to  the  shores  of  Western 
Eujfope.  Russia,  which  now  runs  her  parallels  of  latitude 
through  the  frozen  regions  of  the  North,  touching  upon  oui* 
own  continent  on  the  West,  and  knocking  at  the  gates  of 
ancient  Byzantium  on  her  march  towards  the  British  empire 
of  the  East,  was  then  all  but  unknown  among  the  powers  of 
Europe ;  her  hero  unborn,  and  her  subjects,  wherever  raised 
above  serfdom,  possessing  only  the  half-civilization  derived 
from  her  oriental  sympathies.     Spain,  though  already  past 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  O 

her  zenith,  still  grasping  two  continents  in  her  dominion ; 
the  Atlantic  still  vexed  with  her  richly  freighted  galleons, 
but  her  decadency  irrevocably  assured  by  the  eternal  law  of 
right;  while  France,  on  the  other  hand,  just  beginning  to 
recover   from  the   weak  and    divided    reign   of  the   son   of 
Henry  the  Fourth,  and  the   insane   counsels  of  the  queen 
mother,   already  gave    intimations    of  that    development   of 
strength,  which,  at  the  close  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  by 
the  peace  of  Westphalia,  was  exhibited  in  enlarged  boun- 
*daries,  and  through  a  series  of  brilliant  victories  that  made 
her  the   leading  power  in  Europe.     In  England,  not  then 
a  first-rate    power  in    her    external    relations,  the    struggle 
had  already  commenced  between  prerogative  and  right ;    a 
fearful  conflict  that  drenched  the   kingdom    in    blood,  but 
out  of  which  was  to  issue  the  final  estabhshment  of  limited 
power;  a  new  conception   of  the   rights   of  the    subject,  — 
liberty,  law,  order. 

Let  me  glance  briefly  at  some  of  those  circumstances  in 
the  ecclesiastical  history  of  England  which  tended  to  the 
growth  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  among  ourselves,  with 
those  other  circumstances  in  the  character,  position,  and 
policy  of  our  ancestors,  that  led  to  the  confirmation  of  this 
libe;.-ty ;  and  then  touch  upon  some  few  of  the  more  promi- 
nent points  in  the  history  of  the  Nashaway  plantation. 

No  event  in  the  history  of  nations,  any  more  than  in  indi- 
vidual life,  is  without  its  final  consequences.  No  human 
foresight  can  discern  the  great  results  that  ma^^  follow  from 
circumstances  apparently  the  most  trivial.  In  the  order  of 
God's  providence,  significance  is  to  be  attributed  to  whatever 


CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 


occurs ;  and  empires  have  been  shaken,  dynasties  overturned, 
and  the  destiny  of  mankind  shaped  out,  by  the  whim  or  passion 
of  individual  men.  Thus,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  —  a  cen- 
tury important  as  any  other  in  the  history  of  Modern  Europe, 
and  having  its  influence  upon  the  planting  of  these  western 
shores,  —  the  refusal  of  the  Pope  to  sanction  the  marriage  of 
Henry  the  Eighth  to  a  lady  of  his  court  rendered  that  monarch 
defiant,  and  drove  him  at  once  and  for  all  time  to  sunder 
the  British  empire  from  the  spiritual  despotism  of  the  Holy 
See.  Eejoicing  in  polemic  theology,  the  very  man  who  had 
entered  the  lists  against  Luther  and  his  great  doctrine  of 
justification  by  faith,  —  the  very  man  who  had  defended  the 
seven  sacraments  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  gained  the 
title  of  Defender  of  the  Faith, — in  a  fit  of  transient  passion 
wrenched  the  brightest  jewel  fi:om  the  tiara  of  the  Roman 
Pontiff.  Thepce  followed,  in  regular  sequence,  various  pro- 
visions tending  to  make  permanent  that  separation,  which  was 
begun  in  a  bad  spirit  and  a  distempered  fancy.  The  Bible 
was  enthroned  in  the  place  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  and  all 
were  allowed  to  read  their  duty  and  destiny  in  its  holy 
pages  in  their  own  tongue. 

These  are  the  two  great  facts  of  Heiuy's  reign ;  namely, 
the  separation  from  Rome,  with  its  subsidiary  train  of  con- 
quences,  and  the  estabhshment  of  the  supremacy  of  the 
Bible ;  steps  that  once  taken  could  never  be  retraced ; 
and  though  the  king  remained,  in  almost  every  respect,  a 
stout  adherent  of  the  old  faith  in  matters  of  doctrine,  and 
feared  the  natural  result  of  his  own  actions  in  this  mighty 
change,  and   though   the    nation  was    halting    betwixt    two 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  * 

opinions,  the  onward  progress  was  at  every  moment  mani- 
fest. The  mighty  deep  was  moved,  and  bore  upon  its 
bosom  the  goodly  vessel,  now  dashed  against  by  opposing 
waves,  and  staggering  under  their  shock;  now  trembling 
in  the  wind,  a  seeming  sport  to  contending  elements ;  drift- 
ing at  times  from  her  course,  exposed  to  shoals  and  rocks 
and  quicksands,  but  still  staunch  and  tight ;  righting  herself 
after  every  onset,  obedient  to  her  helm,  and,  against  every 
obstacle,  gallantly  speeding  onward  and  onward  towards  her 
destined  haven. 

The  persecutions  in  Mary's  reign,  which  for  a  time  seemed 
to  be  dealing  deadly  blows  against  the  new  opinions,  in 
reality  fixed  them  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  with  concen- 
trated though  secret  strength,  and  set  the  seal  upon  Protestant- 
ism, as  is  fully  proved  by  the  immense  demonstrations  on  the 
accession  of  Elizabeth.  If  individuals  quailed  before  the 
hand  of  power,  masses  still  cherished  the  right,  which 
gained  in  intenseness  through  successive  reigns  until  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  then  became  firmly  established  as 
the  great  religious  power  of  the  state.  Meanwhile  there 
were  earnest  men,  reformers,  scattered  here  and  there,  dis- 
satisfied that  no  more  had  been  done,  and  anxious  for  further 
progress  within  the  very  bosom  of  the  church.  They  were 
men  who,  according  to  the  old  maxim,  thought  nothing 
accomplished  while  aught  remained  to  be  done ;  thoughtful 
men,  fearful  that  the  reformation  was  stopped  midway,  and 
that  by  some  unexpected  lurch  the  whole  establishment 
might  return  to  the  arms  of  that  spiritual  power  from  which 
it  had  so  abruptly  broken  away. 


8  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Many  braved  the  terrors  of  persecution   in  the  time  of 
Mary,  and  remained  in  England.     Others  fled  to  the  Con- 
tinent, and  formed  congregations  in  Germany  and  Switzer- 
land, and  built  up  considerable  churches,  banded  together 
by  a  common  faith  and  a  common  sympathy.     From  their- 
intercourse   with  the   reformers   at  Frankfort   and    Geneva, 
they  gradually  imbibed  principles  and  views  touching  matters 
of  religious  forms  and   discipline,  that  established  many  of 
them  at  once  as  the  great  party  of  progress  within  the  bosom 
of  the  church.     With  united  forces  their  power  would  have 
been  great  in  accomplishing  their  work;  but  they  became 
divided  before  they  returned   to   England  under  the  early 
auspices  of  Elizabeth.     Each  party  followed  its  own  idiosyn- 
cracy,  —  the  cautious  aiid  the  bold.    .The  one  listened  only 
to  the  echoes  of  the  pa'st,  and  sought  no  further  change,  nay, 
dreaded  it :  the   other,  giving   God  thanks  for  thus  much, 
stoutly    claimed   further    change,    the    evolution    of    higher 
truth.     The   former,  with   feeble   progressive   j^ower,  finally 
became  encrusted  all  over  with  a  hard   conservatism,   and, 
sliding  gradually  and  easily  into"  conformity,  filled  the  various 
departments   of  the  ecclesiastical  administration :  the  latter, 
less  submissive,  with  eyes  undazzled  by  the  rays  of  royalty, 
sought  other  and  fui'ther  light,  and,  embracing  the  genmne 
principle  of  dissent,  held  fast  to  the  right  of  private  judgment 
and  interpretation.      Their  opposition,  it  is  true,  was  for  a 
time  confined  to  forms  and  ceremonies,  observances  and  dress. 
But    opposition,  once    ventured,  grew    wider    in   its    views, 
deeper  in  its  designs,  more  searching  in  its  operation,  till 
form  changed  to  substance ;   and  the  encounter,  at  first  too 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  9 

slight  to  excite  aught  but  contempt,  waxed  stronger  and 
stronger,  till  sceptre  and  mitre  were  prostrate  in  the  dust. 

The  fiery  contest  raged  through  the  chief  part  of  Eliza- 
beth's reign,  both  in  England  and  Scotland ;  and  all  the 
powers  of  the  crown,  and  all  the  sharpness  of  penal  enact- 
ments, were  called  into  exercise  to  crush  the  growing  party. 
Papist  and  Puritan,  the  two  extremes  of  submission  and 
dissent,  suffered  almost  equally  from  the  biting  statutes  of 
the  virgin  queen. 

Those  were  no  cold,  speculative  men,  who  out  of  the  bosom 
of  the  church  wrought  the  great  change.  They  were  the 
sober,  thinking  men  of  the  age,  —  England's  thinkers ;  quiet, 
but  determined,  with  an  enthusiasm  growing  out  of  the 
very  character  of  their  souls.  The  religious  element  was 
awakened ;  and  that  no  earthly  power  can  subdue.  It  feeds 
upon  persecution  as  a  natural  element ;  and  flame  and  fagot 
but  warm  it  into  activity  and  intenseness.  So  widely  had  it 
spread,  that,  early  in  the  reign  of  James  the  First,  there 
were  fifteen  hundred  nonconforming  clergy  in  England 
alone;  representing,  on  a  moderate  computation,  a  million 
of  persons. 

I  would  not  derogate  from  the  many  excellences  of  the 
Established  Church, — its  solemn  worship,  its  numerous  mar- 
tyrs, its*  host  of  learned,  excellent,  religious  men,  in  all  its 
ages ;  but,  allied  as  it  was  to  the  state,  identified  with  it, 
it  was  not  to  be  expected  —  certainly,  in  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  it  could  not  be  expected  —  to  do  much 
for  the  liberty  of  the  subject.  To  accomplish  this  required 
a  different  set  of  men,  trained  under  other  influences.  And  it 
2 


10  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

happened  with  these,  as  with  others,  that  they  knew  not  to 
what  a  great  end  they  had  been  born ;  and  that  matters,  very 
sHght  in  themselves,  would  lead  by  gradual  steps  to  an 
enlarged  discussion  of  the  whole  theory  of  church  govern- 
ment, the  authority  of  the  state  as  connected  with  it,  and  the 
existence  of  an  established  order.  They  were  working  out  a 
great  problem,  with  all  their  blindness  touching  toleration, 
and  with  all  their  imperfections.  Every  sect  conscientiously 
believed  that  uniformity  of  faith,  that  is,  uniformity  with  their 
sect,  should  be  established  by  severe  enactments.  With  all 
their  strict  theology,  their  denial  of  innocent  enjoyments, 
their  sanctimonious  appearance,  and  their  harshness  of  judg- 
ment, they  became,  unconsciously  perhaps,  the  leaders  in 
the  greatest  enterprise  of  modern  history.  It  was  their 
controversy  that  saved  England  from  the  dead  calm  of  a 
spu'itual  despotism ;  preserved  at  the  time  whatever  there 
was  of  liberal  tendency  in  matters  of  state ;  and  finally 
achieved  the  great  victory  of  establishing  constitutional 
liberty  on  a  firm  basis. 

All  honor,  then,  be  awarded  to  the  Puritan  party  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  Church  of 
England;  a  blessed  instrument,  under  Divine  Providence, 
of  so  great  salvation  ! 

The  events  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century 
in  our  mother-country  are  too  familiar,  —  the  story  has  too 
often  been  told  by  many  writers,  and  on  divers  public  cele- 
brations, to  warrant  any  detail  on  this  occasion. 

The  way  that  had  been  preparing  for  a  whole  century 
through  much  suffering,  and  with  only  occasional  gleams  of 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  11 

light;  was  now  opening  wider  and  wider  to  a  new  generation 
disciplined  by  adversity ;  a  generation,  with,  some  defects  and 
some  inconsistencies  of  character,  exhibiting  that  tenacity  of 
principle  and  purpose  which  ensured  final  success. 

I  have  stated  that  the  Puritans  in  the  early  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  while  they  went  for  reform,  by  no 
means  extended  their  views  so  far  as  at  a  subsequent  period, 
or  foresaw  the  necessary  development  and  result  of  their  own 
measures.  They  had  no  original  purpose  of  overthrowing 
the  ecclesiastical  poHty,  and  introducing  the  present  dissent- 
ing service ;  nor  did  they  ask  or  urge  any  thing  of  the  kind  in 
their  famous  petition  in  the  first  year  of  James.  They  dis- 
claimed what  they  styled  "  a  popular  parity  in  the  church." 
They  had  in  view  the  internal  police,  if  I  may  so  terra  it, 
rather  than  the  reconstruction  of  the  fabric.  So  large  was 
the  infusion  of  the  element  of  this  party  in  the  national 
legislature,  that  the  House  of  Commons  is  found  publicly 
sympathizing  with  it;  and  a  petition  to  the  king  to  that 
general  efiect  was  sustained  by  a  large  number  of  the  mem- 
bers, though  by  less  than  a  majority.  Well  had  it  been,  had 
success  attended  the  effort ;  but  the  array  of  power  was 
marshalled  in  another  quarter,  and  of  a  reverse  character. 
At  the  very  time  the  Commons  were  in  deliberation,'  the 
clergy  had  their  Convocation,  and  adopted  a  new  collection 
of  canons,  which  still  constitutes  a  principal  part  of  the 
ecclesiastical  law  of  England.  In  many  particulars  it  treated 
about  indifferent  matters ;  that  is,  indifferent  to  all  but  for- 
malists :  but  others  were  such  as  troubled  the  conscience  of 
the  honest-minded  dissentient,  forthwith  driving  away  a  large 


12  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

niunber,  and  finally  separating  the  ^reat  body  of  the  Puri- 
tans from  the  Establishment.  Out  of  this  class  grew  the 
Independents,  the  standard-bearers  in  the  great  army  of 
freedom. 

The  principal  articles  adopted  by  the  Convocation,  that 
touched  the  sincere  convictions  of  the  dissenting  Puritans 
within  the  chuixh,  and  to  which  all  were  obliged  to  sub- 
scribe before  they  could  preach,  were  these,  viz.  That  the 
King  is  the  supreme  head  of  the  realm,  as  well  in  all  spiritual 
and  ecclesiastical  as  in  temporal  causes  j  that  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  contains  nothing  contrary  to  the  word 
of  God ;  that  they  will  use  it,  and  none  other ;  that  the 
Thirty-nine  Articles  are  all  and  every  of  them  agreeable  to 
the  word  of  God.  All  persons  are  declared  to  be  excom- 
municated by  the  very  fact  of  affirming,  that  the  Church  of 
England  is  not  a  true  and  apostolical  church ;  or  that  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  contains  any  thing  repugnant  to 
Scriptiu-e ;  or  that  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  are  in  any  part 
superstitious  or  erroneous ;  or  that  the  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  the  chru'ch  are  such  as  good  men  may  not  with  a  good 
conscience  approve  j  or  that  the  government  by  archbishops, 
bishops,  &c.,  is  opposed  to  the  word  of  God;  or  that  the 
form  of  consecrating  bishops,  &c.,  is,  in  any  particular, 
unscriptural.  So  all  were  excommunicated  who  separated 
from  the  church,  and  joined  in  a  new  brotherhood,  or 
asserted  their  right  to  do  so,  or  affirmed  that  there  were  any 
other  chuixhes  within  the  realm  that  were  true  and  lawful 
churches,  or  that  any  had  a  right  to  make  rules  ecclesiasti- 
cal without  the  authority  of  the  king.     And,  finally,  all  were 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  13 

visited  with  excommunication  who  denied  the  Convocation  to 
be  a  representative  of  the  true  Church  of  England,  or  the 
vaKdity  of  its  decrees ;  or  affirmed  that  the  members  were 
conspiring  against  godly  and  religious  professors  of  the 
gospel. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the  history  of  these  canons,  that 
they  were  *never  the  law  of  the  land.  They  were  never 
confirmed  by  Parliament,  and  have  no  legal  force  as  to  the 
laity ;  and  yet,  filled  as  they  are  with  the  spirit  of  blight  and 
miklew,  they  had  a  withering,  deadly  power.  Under  them  a 
great  company  of  the  upright  and  vii'tuous,  the  health  and 
strength  of  the  realm,  almost  such  as  no  man  may  number, 
were  harassed  and  persecuted  beyond  measure,  and  without 
stint  or  intermission.  Their  religious  rights  were  trodden 
down.;  the  dictates  of  conscience  were  punished ;  social 
position  was  destroyed;  and  scorn  and  hate  were  visited 
upon  them  with  unbounded  severity. 

Who,  then,  can  wonder  at  the  rapid  growth  of  dissent, 
dating  from  this  period,  and  its  continued  progress,  gathering 
strength  from  every  fresh  indignity,  until  its  final  consumma- 
tion in  assured  victory  over  its  oppressors  ?  Who  can  wonder 
that  these  men,  thinking  themselves  not  only  "  somehow 
straitened,"  as  an  American  prelate  has  sneeringly  said,  but 
bufieted  and  trodden  down  as  he  should  have  said,  should 
gather  the  energies  belonging  to  the  land  of  their  birth,  and 
rise  in  indignant  opposition  to  their  persecutors  ? 

What  was  said  of  this  indomitable  class  in  Scotland  at  that 
period  is  equally  true  as  of  those  of  England.  '*  With  all 
their   arrogance    and    intolerance,   and   the    other   offensive 


14  CENTENNIAL    ADDllESS 

features  of  their  creed  and  character,"  says  a  writer,  inclined, 
against  the  prejudices  of  education  and  association,  to  be 
somewhat  impartial,  "  these  men  were  far  from  being  without 
their  high  qualities,  besides  their  piety  and  religious  fervor. 
The  meekest  of  them,  not  less  than  he  that  was  of  hotter 
temper,  cherished  an  honorable  pride  and  spirit  of  independ- 
ence even  in  worldly  matters,  which  kept  them '  erect  to  a 
remarkable  degree  in  their  general  carriage,  amid  all  the 
servility  and  baseness  of  the  time."  Arrogance,  intolerance, 
and  the  other  offensive  features  of  their  creed !  As  to  their 
creed,  it  was  at  this  time  the  creed,  in  theory  and  profession 
at  least,  of  the  great  Anglican  Church ;  and  though  Armin- 
ianism  had  already  crept  in  to  some  extent,  and  was  largely 
spreading,  it  could  then  hardly  be  said  to  be  the  prevailing 
belief  of  the  adherents  of  the  church.  A  lurking  tendency 
toward  Rome  already  existed,  and  became  quite  apparent  a 
few  years  afterwards.  In  the  same  proportion  Calvinistic 
doctrines  and  practice  were  on  the  decline,  and  the  believers 
were  held  up  to  ridicule  and  reproach ;  so  that  parish 
ministers,  not  long  after,  were  forbidden  to  preach  upon  their 
peculiar  doctrines. 

As  to  arrogance  and  intolerance,  although  we  may  not 
boast  for  them  an  exemption,  it  ill  becomes  the  Established 
Church  to  flout  the  Puritans.  It  gave  more  than  measm-e 
for  measure  in  return  for  what  it  received.  It  had  not  the 
nice  Christian  eye  that  would  lead  it  to  detect  its  own 
enormities,  and  amend  them ;  but  saw  the  mote  in  its 
Christian  brother's  eye,  and  commended  itself,  saying,  "  I 
am  holier  than  thou." 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  15 

Thus  we  have  seen,  in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  at 
first  only  a  modified  form  of  Romanism,  —  a  change  in  the 
head  of  the  church  from  the  Eternal  City  to  England ;  then 
halting  steps  and  slow,  —  persecutions  by  one  portion  of  the 
Protestant  denominations,  almost  equally  of  Catholics  on  the 
one  hand,  and  of  Dissenters  on  the  other ;  then  the  gradual 
growth  of  the  principle  of  dissent  permeating  large  masses 
of  men,  now  no  longer  despised.  The  expression  of  con- 
tempt is  no  more  heard,  but  fear  and  hate  are  in  its  stead. 

The  men  who  colonized  Massachusetts  had  remained  within 
the  bosom  of  the  church,  protesting  against  what  they  deemed 
its  unscriptural  ordinances,  sometimes  in  a  deprecatory,  and 
sometimes  in  a  defiant  tone,  preparing  themselves  for  what- 
ever event  in  God's  providence  might  await  them.  It  was 
no  longer  a  feeble  aggregation  of  humble  individuals  that 
might  be  swept  away,  and  no  remembrance  be  had  of  them, 
but  a  recognized  power  in  the  church ;  no  longer  a  party  by 
sufferance,  but  aggressive,  contending  for  place  and  position, 
for  the  enjoyment  of  religious  rights  without  fear  of  external 
and  usurped  dominion. 

And  now  first  appears  an  instance  of  separation  imme- 
diately connected  with  our  own  history.  I  leave  out  of 
view  the  instance  of  Robert  Brown.  His  movement  was 
individual  and  erratic.  He  contended  mainly  on  his  own 
account,  fell  back  when  his  congregation  was  dispersed, 
became  reconciled  to  Mother  Church,  and  lived  and  died  in 
her  communion ;  a  man  who  neither  in  life  nor  conversation 
was  a  true  type  of  the  self-sacrificing  pietist.  The  men  of 
whom  I  am  to  speak  wore  of  sterner  stuff. 


10  CENTENNIAL    ADDRES.? 

A  few  months  before  the  death  of  Elizabeth,  in  the  year 
1 002,  William  Brewster,  a  gentleman  of  education  and  of 
public  service  at  court,  having  no  taste  for  the  heartless 
pursuits  of  a  courtier,  —  a  man  with  whom  life  was  earnest 
and  real, — retiring  from  the  round  of  fashion  and  luxury, 
united  with  some  other  kindred  spirits,  and  gathered  a  little 
church,  —  the  first  church  of  the  Pilgrims,  in  the  North  of 
England.  Of  this  church  the  worthy  and  revered  Richard 
Clifton  was  the  minister ;  to  whom  succeeded  Robinson, 
so  celebrated  in  our  New  England  history,  and  ever  so 
closely  and  honorably  identified  with  it.  I  omit  the  church 
of  the  excellent  and  learned  Smith,  because  he  died  early,  and 
his  congregation  fell  asunder  in  the  Low  Countries.  This 
church  under  Clifton  was  the  mother  of  our  New  England. 
Its  story  in  the  mother-country,  its  sufferings  there,  its  dangers 
in  reaching  Holland,  its  various  trials  and  triumphs  in  that 
country,  and  its  final  peaceful  settlement  on  our  own  shores, 
are  all  famiHar  as  household  words  from  the  interesting 
narrative  left  by  Governor  Bradford.  But  the  place  in 
England  where  this  church  was  first  gathered,  and  where 
it  maintained  a  struggling  existence  for  a  few  years,  encom- 
passed on  every  side,  with  all  of  authority,  all  of  social 
position  and  refinement,  against  it,  while  James  threatened, 
in  brutal  phrase,  to  harry  all  Nonconformists  out  of  the 
land,  —  that  place,  so  interesting  historically  as  the  first 
nestling  spot  of  the  Pilgrims,  *  has  for  generations  been 
wholly  lost  from  memory.  It  has  been  reserved  to  the 
present  time  to  discover,  identify,  and  consecrate  the  spot. 
This    has    recently  been    accomplished    through    the  pains- 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  17 

taking  diligence  of  a  learned  English  antiquaiy ;  *  a  gentle- 
man who,  while  devoted  at  home  to  the  engrossing  labors 
of  an  important  office,  from  his  affectionate  regard  for  our 
New  England  worthies,  has  redeemed  time  enough  to  contri- 
bute a  very  considerable  amount  of  exact  information  illus- 
trating our  early  annals. 

In  a  little  village  in  Nottinghamshire  lies  the  cradle  of 
Massachusetts.  Casting  our  eyes  upon  the  map,  we  find  in 
the  northerly  part  of  that  county^  on  a  branch  of  the  Trent, 
the  humble  parish  of  Scrooby,  an  obscure  agricultural  vil- 
lage, now  containing  but  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
inhabitants,  and  in  territorial  extent  less  than  one-tenth  part 
of  our  own  reduced  Lancaster.  Of  greater  importance  at  an 
earlier  day,  though  never  of  mark  among  the  localities  of 
England,  it  will  in  future  be  remembered  by  us  only  as  con- 
nected with  our  own  history.  "  In  the  mean  townlet  of 
Scrooby,"  saith  an  early  writer,  f  "  I  marked  two  things  :  the 
parish  church,  not  long,  but  very  well  builded ;  the  second 
was  a  great  manor-place  standing  within  a  moat,  and  longing 
to  the  Archbishop  of  York,  builded  in  two  courts,  whereof 
the  first  is  very  ample." 

This  bishop's  manor  was  the  residence  of  the  worthy 
Brewster.  Here  he  gathered  from  the  vicinity  a  congrega- 
tion of  believers,  —  CKfton,  Robinson,  the  Bradfords,  Jacksons, 
Rochesters,  and  others,  who  formed  the  first  permanent  Sep- 
aratist Church  of  the  seventeenth  century,  which,  under  the 
guidance  of  Heaven,  became  the  first  Church  of   Christ   in 

*  llev.  Joseph  Hunter,  of  London,  a  member  of  the  Record  Commission. 

t  Quoted  by  Mr.  Hunter  :  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

3 


18  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

New  England.  Thus  was  finished  the  training  that  had  been 
in  progress  for  two  centm-ies  from  the  primal  tjrpe  to  the  full 
representation  of  a  peculiar  people  on  these  shores. 

Chalmers  calls  them  "a  few  fanatics,  who,  tii-ed  of  the 
European  world,  because  it  denied  to  them  that  toleration 
which  they  showed  little  inclination  to  allow  to  others,  sailed 
for  Virginia,  but  were  driven  by  a  storm  on  the  coast  of 
New  England."  But  Chalmers  was  a  Scotchman  and  a  most 
ardent  loyalist.  The  sentiment  is  not  strange  from  that 
quarter,  while  the  charge  of  fanaticism  is  the  easy  calumny 
applied  to  reformers  in  every  age,  —  Wickliflfe,  Luther,  Clark- 
son,  Wilberforce,  and  others  ev^  down  to  the  present  day. 

But,  while  we  smile  at  this  acrimonious  spirit,  it  may  well 
be  admitted  that  these  men  were  not  in  a  position  to  establish 
a  great  state.  It  may  be  questioned  whether  they  could 
have  sustained  a  colony  from  natural  increase  of  population, 
or  from  any  emigrations,  considerable  either  in  numbers  or 
resources.  Probably  they  would  have  fallen  before  a  hostile 
demonstration  of  either  of  the  larger  Indian  tribes,  —  the 
Pequots  or  the  Narragansets.  There  were  among  them  many 
excellent  men,  whose  names  and  worth  every  true  son  of 
New  England  cherishes  in  his  very  heart.  Their  principles 
and  aspirations  all  tended  directly  to  freedom :  still  they  were 
not  the  men  destined  to  build  up  a  Commonwealth.  Their 
assured  protection  came  from  the  colony  planted  on  their 
northern  border,  with  Connecticut  and- New  Haven  in  the 
opposite  quarter. 

The  time  arrives,  and  the  men  are  now  advancing,  for  whom 
under  the  good  Providence  of  God,  in  the  beautiful  words  of 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  19 

the  prophet,  "  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  j)lace  shall  be 
glad,  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 

•And  thus,  while  the  little  band  of  Pilgrims,  first  at  Scrooby, 
then  in  Holland,  and  then  on  our  southern  border,  were 
working  out  the  destiny  to  which  they  were  appointed,  — 
feeble,  because  separated  from  the  large  class  oi  Noncon- 
formists, —  this  greater  body  jof  the  Puritans,  remaining  in 
the  Church  of  England,  was  gaining  in  strength,  in  intellec- 
tual accomplishments,  and  in  unity  of  purpose.  They  became 
recipients  of  all  the  advantages  arising  from  the  increasing 
culture  and  civilization  of  the  age.  Herein  they  gained 
beyond  measure.  Their  faculties  were  sharpened,  their  ener- 
gies wei-e  increased,  by  the  discussions  and  controversies  they 
maintained,  and  by  the  persecution  they  endured,  when  re- 
quired to  conform,  or  be  harried  out  of  the  land.  God  was 
now  "  sifting  a  whole  nation,  that  he  might  send  choice  grain 
over  into  the  wilderness."  Ecclesiastical  tyranny  had  become 
inveterate.  The  harrying  was  in  full  play.  Then  were  gath- 
ered together  men  of  education,  wealth,  and  social  distinction, 
—  clergymen,  lawyers,  country  gentlemen,  men  of  deep  reli- 
gious sentiment,  and  yet  wise  in  their  generation, — who  took 
deliberate  and  sober  counsel.  They  found,  that  by  a  potent 
alchemy  they  could  transmute  a  trading  company  within  the 
realm  into  a  great  institution  of  civil  government  beyond 
the  realm. 

In  this  great  measure,  —  this  master-stroke,  —  first  publicly 
suggested  by  Governor  Craddock,  we  recognize  lar-sighted 
wisdom,  such  *  no  other  colonists  ever  manifested ;  sugges- 
tive  wisdom,  comprehensive  in  all  its  parts.      These   men 


20  CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS 

were  willing  to  leave,  three  thousand  miles  behind  them,  all 
that  constitutes  the  idea  of  home,  and  plant  themselves  in  a 
distant  wilderness,  provided  they  had  the  powers  of  gove*i- 
ment  in  their  own  hands ;  but  not  willing  to  become  exiles 
from  the  place  of  their  affections,  if  they  were  to  be  dependent 
upon  a  migre  board  of  trade  in  London. 

Can  they  be  justly  blamed  ?  They  have  been  blamed,  as 
if  they  had  done  this  great  work  in  a  corner,  and  had  per- 
petrated a  fraud  upon  the  king.  The*  vote  to  transfer  the 
patent,  so  that  it  might  be  legally  done,  seems  to  have  been  un- 
animous. Whether  legal  advice  was  actually  taken  is  uncer- 
tain. The  fact  does  not  appear  of  record.  But  it  is  certain 
that  the  king  took  no  offence  at  the  transfer ;  and^  more  than 
two  years  afterwards,  he  was  at  especial  pains  to  assure  the 
inhabitants  that  their  privileges  would  be  protected. 

The  reasonable  explanation  of  the  conduct  of  the  king  in 
permitting  this  transfer,  which  of  course  must  have  soon  be- 
come publicly  known,  is  given  by  a  recent  historian,  namely, 
that  "  the  king's  policy,  at  the  present  time,  was  to  persuade 
the  leaders  of  the  Puritans,  that,  if  they  would  peaceably  aban- 
don the  contest  for  their  principles  in  England,  they  were 
at  liberty  to  embody  and  enjoy  them  in  whatever  institu- 
tions they  might  think  fit  to  estabhsh  in  America." 

Previous  history  may  be  searched  in  vain  for  an  enterprise 
essayed  with  more  vigor,  prudence,  and  wisdom,  by  better 
men,  or  with  more  entii'e  success  5  not  with  remote  success, 
nor  with  intermediate  faltering,  but  by  one  grand  efibrt,  at  a 
single  adventure,  the  Commonwealth  of  Ma^achusetts,  God 
bless  her  !  was  established  on  a  firm  basis.     True  there  were 


AT    LANCASTER;    MASSACHUSETTS.  21 

sufferings  dm-ing  the  first  winter ;  but  they  sink  into  insig- 
nificance in  comparison  with  those  at  Jamestown  and  at 
Plymouth. 

The  Massachusetts  men  were  of  two  classes.  They  were 
widely  separated  by  the  distinctions  in  society  that  existed  at 
home  ]  and  for  a  time  were  separated  here  by  the  same  con- 
siderations, besides  those  of  education.  The  ministers,  almost 
all  of  them,  were  men  educated  in  the  classical  and  scholastic 
learning  of  the  times  in  the  ancient  halls  of  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge. Many  of  them,  as  well  as  the  leading  laymen,  were 
persons  of  considerable'estates,  and  brought  over  families  of 
the  faithful  of  the  uneducated  class,  who  had  been  but  little 
remembered  in  the  distribution  of  temporal  goods.  The 
former  rejoiced  in  the  title  of  Master ;  the  wife  was  Madam : 
the  latter  were  simply  Goodman  and  Goodwife.  These  desig- 
nations prevailed  to  a  great  extent  until  the  abrogation  of  the 
first  charter. 

Many  excellent  men  connected  with  the  company  never 
came  over ;  but,  while  active  and  thoughtful  for  the  benefit  of 
the  colony,  were  largely  concerned  in  th^  series  of  measures 
which  established  the  power  of  the  Independents  in  England. 
Of  these,  among  many  others  of  the  laity,  may  be  mentioned 
that  worthy  merchant,  Matthew  Craddock,  the  Governor  of 
the  Company  in  England ;  Samuel  Vassall,  a  member  of  the 
Long  Parliament,  and*  otherwise  distinguished  in  public 
station,  and  one  of  the  earliest  on  that  honored  roll,  "  who 
refused  to  submit  to  the  payment  of  tonnage  and  poundage ;  " 
Thomas  Adams,  vigilant  in  the  concerns  of  the  company, 
one  of  the  Court  of  Assistants,  and  a  member  of  the  House 


22  CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS 

of  Commons ;  Sir  William  Breretoii;  of  an  ancient  family  in 
the  county  of  Chester,  a  distinguished  military  officer,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  one  of  the  King's  Judges ; 
Thomas  Andrews  the  merchant.  Sheriff,  Lord  Mayor  of  Lon- 
don, and  also  one  of  the  King's  Judges;  John  White  the 
counsellor,  the  leading  professional  adviser  of  the  Company 
in  England,  an  active  member  of  Parliament,  lay  member  of 
the  celebrated  Westminster  Assembly,  and  withal  a  grave, 
honest,  and  learned  man. 

Of  the  clcigy  I  will  name  only  Nye  and  White.  Philip 
Nye,  a  man  of  uncommon  sagacity,  *an  Oxford  graduate,  a 
member  of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  one  of  those  who 
negotiated  the  treaty  with  the  Scots,  which  issued  in  the 
famous.  Solemn  League  and  Covenant  that  united  the  two 
nations  in  one  great  religious  compact,  —  that  compact  which 
resulted  in  overthrowing  the  monarchy.  John  White,  of 
Dorchester,  sometimes  called  "  Father  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony,"  a  man  fervent  in  his  religion,  active  in  his  zeal,  en- 
lightened in  his  works,  contributing  to  the  necessities  of  the 
Pilgrims  at  PlymoAh,  providing  for  the  moral  and  spiritual 
instruction  of  the  fishermen  on  our  coast,  especially  at  Cape 
Ann  ;  for  the  plantation  at  Salem ;  and  for  the  union  of  the 
men  of  Dorset  and  Devon,  whence  sprang  the  Company  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay.  He  may  be  named  also  as  the  author 
of  a  tract  well  known  to  antiquaries,  entitled  the  "  Plant- 
er's Plea,"  intended  to  justify  and  promote  the  undertaking 
•of  the  colonists.  He  was  also  active  in  promoting  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.  No  one  was  held 
in  deeper  respect ;  no  one  was  more  deserving  of  it. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  23 

These  men,  with  their  associates,  are  more  especially  de- 
serving of  commemoration  by  us,  because,  as  they  belonged 
to  the  party  at  home  that  has  been  unpopular  in  all  siicceeding 
history,  justice  has  never  been*rendered  to  theii-  virtues. 

The  character  of  a  new  settlement,  the  aggregate  of  indi- 
viduals, is  equally  important  with  that  of  the  individual,  as 
the  great  representation  in  the  line  of  succession  or  descent. 
How  many  centuries,  I  would  ask,  elapsed  ere  the  barbar- 
ism and  piracy  of  the  North  of  Europe  gave  way  before  the 
influences  of  Christianity  and  the  refinements  of  civilization ; 
and  how  many  subsequent  ages  before  that  Christianity  and 
that  civihzation  resulted  in  the  firm  establishment  of  well- 
assured  freedom  even  in  the  most  favored  lands  !  What  in- 
termediate struggles  of  right  against  might,  and  light  against 
darkness ;  what  dreary  periods  of  doubt,  almost  ending  in 
despair ;  what  persecutions  and  tortures  of  the  good  and 
far-seeing,  —  of  the  men  guilty  of  being  wiser  than  their 
times,  and  in  advance  of  their  age,  —  branded  as  inno- 
vators on  the  venerable  rescripts  of  the  past,  and  the 
time-honored  institutions  of  the  land !  —  what  condemna- 
tion because  they  represented  no  great  majority  of  a  popular 
party,  but  only  the  thoughtful  speculations  of  a  despised  few  ! 
All  this  must  be  undergone,  experience  long  and  bitter, 
before  a  well-ordered  state  rises  from  the  various  elements 
that  contribute  «to  its  formation.  So  in  the  individual :  his 
barbarism  and  vice  descend  by  easy  and  natural  transmission 
to  succeeding  generations,  infecting  whole  masses  of  men,  — 
developed  now  in  this,  and  now  in  that  offensive  trait ;  ;ind 
finally  and  necessarily  triumphant,  unless  controlled  and  sub- 


24  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

dued  by  new  elements  of  a  reformatory  character,  gradually 
working  their  way  to  success. 

When,  therefore,  we  take  into  view  the  easy,  downward 
tendency  of  the  individual  and  of  the  many,  and  the  slow, 
painful,  hesitating  process  of  recovery  under  the. severity  of 
self-discipline  and  experience,  it  is  a  subject  of  devout  grati- 
tude that  our  own  colony  was  planted  by  God-fearing  men, 
—  men  of  whom  we  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed,  —  men 
who,  with  all  their  imperfections,  have  left  their  good 
impress  sharply  defined  on  all  following  generations ;  clearly 
discerned  in  one  long  track  of  light  down  to  the  present 
time. 

Leaving,  then,  those  of  the  Massachusetts  Company  who 
remained  in  England,  proceed  with  me  while  I  glance  at  some 
few  of  that  large  number  who  came  over  in  the  first  great 
fleet  in  the  spring  of  1630;  and  of  those  who  found  their 
way  hither  at  a  later  season  of  the  same  year,  or  subsequently 
within  four  years.  All  of  that  class  may  be  embraced  in 
the  great  army  of  founders.  But  first  there  is  one  entitled 
to  notice,  of  whom  history  makes  deserving  mention.  I 
mean  Roger  Conant,  the  connecting  link  between  the  settle- 
ment at  Plymouth,  the  station  at  Cape  Ann,  the  plantation 
at  Salem,  and  the  colony  of  Massachusetts.  History  de- 
scribes him  as  "  a  religious,  sober,  and  prudent  gentleman." 
He  was  a  good  man,  filled  with  courage  and  resolution  to 
abide  fixed  in  liis  purpose,  notwithstanding  all  opposition, 
and  every  attempt  at  persuasion  he  met  with  to  the  contrary. 
Among  the  laity  he  may  well  be  classed  in  a  hke  category 
with  that  of  John  "White,  of  Dorchester,  in  a  larger  sphere 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  25 

among  the  clergy,  in  earnest  effort  to  promote  emigration  to 
the  Bay.  Ahnost  solitary  in  his  position,  he  stood,  with  a 
brave  and  cheerful  spirit,  when  others  quailed  and  fainted ; 
and,  stretching  with  the  eye  of  faith  across  the  bosom  of 
the  wide  Atlantic,  could  discern,  through  the  dimness  of  the 
future,  the  advance  of  that  devoted  company  under  Endecott 
that  was  to  people  the  shores  of  Naumkeag.  Two  years  did 
he,  with  his  three  associates,  Woodbury,  Balch,  and  Palfrey, 
in  solitude  and  danger,  await  the  advent  of  this  band ;  and, 
•upon  its  arrival,  was  the  happy  means  of  allaying  the  jealou- 
sies and  settling  the  differences  between  the  ancient  planters 
and  the  new  comers,  in  relation  to  the  jurisdiction  over  the 
soil  and  the  enjoyment  of  individual  rights. 

The  great  fleet  of  1630  is  now  approaching  these  shores; 
not  in  ten  or  eleven  days  from  the  mother-country,  accord- 
ing to  our  every-day  experience,  but  after  a  wearisome  and 
boisterous  voyage  of  more  than  two  months,  baptized  in 
storm  and  peril.  Let  us  note  a  few  of  these  men,  with 
some  of  those  that  followed  them,  as  they  disembark  in 
search  of  habitations  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Bay  country 
that  was  all  before  them. 

Thomas  Dudley,  who  had  already  seen  military  service  in 
France  in  his  carnal  days,  and,  retui'ning  to  this  country, 
became  a  part  of  the  church  mihtant,  now  descends  fi'om 
shipboard,  and  appears  upon  the  scene.  We  behold  a  man 
of  severe  exterior,  clothed  in  the  Puritan  garb  of  that 
period,  discouraging  all  levity  and  every  approach  to  mirth- 
ful relaxation,  as  inconsistent  with  self-denying  ordinances ; 
abrupt  in  his  address;  a  terror  to  the  worldling  and  the 
4 


26  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

unsanctified ;  believing  all  truth  wrapt  up  in  his  own  creed, 
with  no  toleration  for  a  different  faith,  or  want  of  faith,  in 
others  ;  exiling  himself  from  all  the  tender  and  social  delights 
of  a  pleasant  home  ;  sympathizing  with  those  only  of  a  spirit 
kindred  to  his  own ;  careful  in  all  money  concerns,  even 
to  the  charge  of  avarice ;  but,  with  all  this,  of  an  ardent 
temperament,  with  a  heart  devoted  to  religion,  as  he  under- 
stood and  embraced  it;  of  integrity  incorrupt,  of  large 
good  sense,  and  of  resolute,  energetic  will.  A  fit  person  to 
join  in  the  great  enterprise,  we  find  him,  while  on  board  the 
Arbella,  before  leaving  the  shores  of  England,  entrusted 
with  the  second  office  in  the  infant  Commonwealth,  and 
afterwards  raised  to  the  chief  civil  and  military  command. 
He  left  a  son  and  grandson  more  distinguished  than  himself. 
Let  him  be  taken  as  a  representative  of  Northamptonshire. 

Of  a  difierent  bearing,  of  gentler  temperament,  and  more 
gracious  mien,  approaches  Isaac  Johnson.  He  was  of  gene- 
rous nurture ;  the  friend  of  Winthrop,  Hampden,  Dudley ; 
a  gentleman  of  large  landed  estate ;  an  affectionate  friend 
to  the  colony,  and  its  benefactor,  —  the  husband  of  the 
lovely  lady  Arbella.  They  come  in  purity  of  spirit  and 
with  holy  influences  in  the  array  of  their  kindred  associates, 
but  only  as  it  should  seem  to  seal  their  faith  by  their  early 
death ;  —  she,  the  virtuous,  self-sacrificing,  loving  wife,  re- 
nouncing all  the  distinguished  privileges  and  the  delicacies 
of  a  noble  home;  he,  in  the  words  of  Winthrop,  "a  holy 
man  and  T\ise,  and  dpng  in  sweet  peace."  He  was  a  worthy 
representative  of  Rutlandshire. 

Yorkshire  was  amply  represented  by  Sir  Richard  Salton- 


AT    LANCA^ER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  27 

stall,  a. gentleman  of  honorable  descent,  of  kind  and  frank 
dispgsition,  and  justly  entitled  one  of  the  fathers  of  the 
Massachusetts  Colony.  Not  that  he  remained  here  long, 
for  he  returned  to  England  in  the  following  spring ;  but  he 
left  his  sons  behind,  who  were  honored  in  their  own  lives, 
and  honored  in  the  character  of  their  descendants.  In  an 
age  when  toleration  was  considered  as  an  evidence  of  lax 
principle,  if  not  of  absolute  heresy,  he  exhibited  in  his  life  a 
beautiful  illustration  of  Christian  charity ;  and,  some  twenty 
years  after  his  return,  sadly  complained  to  Wilson  and 
Cotton  of  the  instances  of  a  persecuting  spirit  that  had 
reached  his  ears.  Though  distant  from  the  colony  and 
engaged  in  other  scenes,  he  was  ever  mindful  and  helpful  of 
the  colonists,  defending  their  good  name  and  their  charter, 
before  the  king  in  council,  against  the  resentment  of 
Gardiner,  Morton,  and  Katcliffe,  —  taking  all  opportunities 
of  rendering  them  assistance,  and  still  further  deserving  of 
gratitude  for  his  thoughtful  remembrance  of  the  College. 

William  Vassall,  of  London,  one  of  the  Assistants,  a  man 
equally  catholic  in  spirit  with  Saltonstall,  but  more  given  to 
argument  and  controversy,  well-educated,  intelligent,  and 
busy,  remained  in  the  colony  only  for  a  short  period,  and  then 
left  it  for  England.  On  his  return  lo  Bo'ston,  so  far  from 
making  that  place  his  residence,  he  eschewed  the  Massachu- 
setts, and  sat  down  at  Scituate.  He  is  called  by  Winthrop 
"  a  busy  and  factious  spirit,  —  a  man  never  at  rest  but  when 
he  was  in  the  fire  of  contention."  The  title  of  Winslow's 
pamphlet,  "  New  England's  Salamander  Discovered,"  had 
reference  to  Vassall.     While  in  Scituate,  he  had  a  long  con- 


28  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

troversy  Avith  President  Chauncy  in  reference  to  the  mode  of 
baptism.  It  was  conducted  with  mutual  sharpness,  bu|  on 
Vassall's  side  with  a  good  degree  of  coolness.  He  found 
more  favor  with  Wilson,  Cotton,  and  others,  ministers  in  the 
Bay,  than  with  those  in  Plymouth.  A  second  church  was 
the  result  of  this  dispute,  and  the  measure  of  his  success. 
Though  strongly  suspected  "of  inclining  to  Episcopacy,  he 
seems  to  have  been  a  pretty  fair  Congregationalist,  at  least 
while  he  remained  in  this  country.  The  principles  for  which 
he  contended  Were  not  characteristic  of  that  period,  but  now 
would  be  universally  admitted  as  a  constituent  of  the  unques- 
tioned liberty  of  the  subject.  The  discussion  was  of  imme- 
diate interest,  and  may  have  had  some  more  permanent 
influence  in  the  history  of  the  colony. 

A  more  humble  spirit  dwelt  in  the  breast  of  Increase 
Nowell,  the  Secretary  of  the  Colony  for  awhile ;  serving  the 
planters  with  diligence  as  one  of  the  Assistants  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  performing  other  public  functions.  Activity, 
energy,  fidelity,  were  traits  of  his  character.  He  left  to  his 
children  the  treasure  of  a  good  name ;  which,  being  better 
than  riches,  as  we  have  it  on  authority,  may  be  considered  an 
ample  inheritance.     He  died  poor  in  other  possessions. 

Wilham  Pynchon,  fsom  Essex,  another  Assistant,  possessed 
a  determined  natui-e,  and  a  good  share  of  learning.  He 
founded  Springfield  a  few  years  before  Lancaster  was  first 
inhabited,  and  named  it  after  his  birthplace  in  Essex.  For 
almost  an  entire  generation,  his  was  its  leading  and  controll- 
ing mind.  Like  most  laymen  of  that  day,  versed  in  scholastic 
theology,  he  rejoiced  to  see  his  name  in  print,  no  less  than  the 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS..  29 

brethren  who  engrossed  the  greater  part  of  letters.  Living 
remote  from  the  other  plantations,  in  a  place  of  great  seclu- 
sion, he  seems  to  have  been  inclined,  very  presumptuously, 
of  course,  independent  of  the  authorities  in  the  Bay,  to  do 
his  own  thinking,  and  to  have  worked  out  a  theory  of  the 
atonement,  viz.  that  the  sufferings  of  the  Saviour  were  merely 
"  trials  of  his  obedience,"  wholly  adverse  to  the  prevailing 
doctrine.  This  brought  him  under  public  cognizance.  The 
Great  and  General  Court  interfered.  The  church  was  in 
peril.  The  court  solemnly  pronounced  its  dislike  and  det- 
estation of  his  book  as  erroneous  and  dangerous,  false  and 
heretical ',  required  him'  to  appear  and  exculpate  himself,  or 
suffer  the  consequences ;  and  directed  that  the  obnoxious 
treatise  be  burnt  by  the  executioner  in  Boston  Market-place 
"  after  lecture."  By  the  same  power  of  eminent  domain  in 
matters  of  faith,  ten  years  after,  the  apostle  Eliot's  tract  upon 
the  Christian  Commonwealth,  which  passed  current  during 
the  Protectorate,  was  supposed  to  reflect  upon  kingly  govern- 
ment, and  orders  were  issued  for  its  suppression.  Pynchon, 
in  his  case,  appeared,  and  made  explanations  and  retractions ; 
but,  before  final  judgment,  taking  counsel  of  discretion,  and 
probably  foreseeing  that  he  would  be  visited  with  sharp 
condemnation,  he  wisely  took  advantage  of  the  interval,  and 
returned  to  England. 

Before  his  theological  fall,  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  for 
his  virtues  and  services,  as  a  main  pillar  in  the  Sjiringfield 
Plantation ;  vigilant  and  helpful  in  church  and  state ;  but 
he  had  committed  what  Avas  then  the  unpardonable  sin, — 
and  what  even  in  our  own  day  renders  a  man  obnoxious  to 


30  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

censure,  and  disturbs  his  social  position,  —  by  the  main- 
tenance  and  expression  of  opinions,  which,  however  honest, 
were  adverse  to  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  the  community. 
Roger  Ludlow,  the  Assistant  and  Deputy-Governor,  who 
came  over  with  the  west-country  people,  was  a  more  ambitious 
man  than  Pynchon,  of  warmer  temperament,  and  somewhat 
of  the  Miles  Standish  school.  Though,  it  would  seem,  not 
bred  to  the  law,  he  possessed  a  reputation  for  professional 
knowledge  ;  —  precisely  the  kind  of  man,  and  precisely  the 
knowledge  needed  in  the  infant  colony,  where  so  soon  and 
for  so  long  a  time  the  science  and  skill  of  legal  fence  were 
to  be  called  into  exercise.  He  was  evidently  high-spirited, 
and  would  easily  kindle  into  a  passion.  He  threatened  to 
leave  the  colony  and  return  to  England,  should  the  people 
insist  upon  choosing  the  Assistants  every  year,  and  upon 
choosing  the  Governor  by  the  whole  Court,  that  is,  by  the 
whole  body  of  freemen,  instead  of  by  the  Assistants.  History 
records  other  instances  characteristic  of  the  man.  But  he 
was  honest-minded  and  useful  while  he  remained  here,  though 
somewhat  suspicious  that  he  had  not  his  full  share  of  popular 
honors.  When  the  sovereigns  find  that  a  man  comes  to  this 
complexion,  they  have  a  very  summary  way  with  him :  he 
must  submit  to  the  bowstring.  And  so  it  was  with  Ludlow. 
He  was  left  out  of  the  government,  and,  in  consequence, 
departed  from  this  jurisdiction  for  Connecticut.  There,  in  a 
narrower  field  and  with  fewer  rivals,  he  became  a  prominent 
man  for  a  number  of  years,  —  active  in  the  Pequot  war,  — 
active  as  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies, 
and  so  active  in  stirring  up  his  neighbors  on  his  own  account 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS. 


31 


to  commence  hostilities  against  the  Dutch,  as  to  disturb  his 
influence,  and  occasion  him  so  much  trouble  that  he  left 
Connecticut,  as  nineteen  years  before  he  had  left  Massachu- 
setts, and  sailed  for  Vii'ginia. 

William  Coddington,  a  native  of  Boston  in  Lincolnshu-e, 
worthilj^  embalmed  in  Rhode  Island  history,  Assistant  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  was  a  man  less 
fiery  in  his  constitution  than  Ludlow,  but  still  of  a  very 
determined  spirit.  Winthrop  calls  him  '■'  a  godly  man,  and 
of  good  estate."  From  his  great  excellence  of  character,  and 
ample  means,  he  was  enabled  to  exert  a  large  and  healthful 
influence  in  Boston,  where  he  was  a  principal  merchant ;  and 
his  talents  and  integrity  insured  the  continuance  of  that  in- 
fluence  until  the  time  of  the  Antinomian  war ;  when,  happen- 
ing to  be  of  the  losing  party,  —  the  covenant-of-grace  party, 
—  his  situation  became  unpleasant  in  the  extreme.  He  re- 
moved to  Rhode  Island,  where  all  theological  covenants  were 
equal,  —  equally  indifferent,  —  and  was  there  distinguished 
for  his  good  service.  For  a  long  time  he  held  the  office  of 
Governor. 

Simon  Bradstreet,  of  Emanuel  College,  Cambridge,  the  son 

* 

of  a  clergyman,  a  Lincolnshire  man,  "  the  Nestor  of  New 
England,"  was  more  fortunate  in  his  convictions  than  Cod- 
dington,  in  that  he  joined  the  covenant-of-works  party,  which, 
after  a  short  but  severe  controversy,  triumphantly  carried  the 
day. 

Coming  to  the  colony  a  young  man,  he  successively  passed 
through  the  offices  of  Assistant,  Secretary,  Deputy-Gover- 
nor, Governor,  Commissioner  of  the  United  Colonies,  and 


32  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Agent  to  England.  His  colonial  life  embraced  a  period 
of  sixty-seven  years ;  witnessing  the  first  planting  of  Mas- 
sachusetts under  the  first  charter,  the  government  during 
its  entire  continuance,  its  abrogation,  the  usurpation  of  An- 
dres, the  incoming  of  the  second  charter,  and  five  years  of 
its  vigorous  operation.  Surviving  all  his  original  associates 
and  a  host  in  the  next  generation,  he  lived  to  see  the  healthy 
growth  and  the  consolidated  strength  of  the  Province,  and 
was  at  a  sufficient  elevation,  —  like  Lord  Bathurst  in  the 
beautiful  apostrophe  of  Burke,  —  casting  his  eye  back  in 
contemplation  of  the  past,  and  looking  into  the  future  to 
discern  the  possibility  of  a  rising  empire  in  the  West,  freed 
from  provincial  transatlantic  bondage. 

Few  men  in  the  colony  were  more  serviceable  than  Brad- 
street.  He  possessed  a  phlegmatic  temperament,  tending  to 
long  life,  with  great  moderation  of  character,  accompanied  by 
undoubted  firmness.  Though  perhaps  not  bred  to  the  Bar, 
like  Wintlii-op,  Bellingham,  and  Humphrey,  he  had  respect- 
able legaL  attainments,  which  were  frequently  called  into 
exercise.  A  distinguished  tribute  was  paid  to  his  wisdom 
and  sagacity,  in  his  being  selected  as  one  of  the  Agents 
of  Massachusetts  in  England  after  the  Bestoration.  He  was 
generally,  if  not  always,  of  the  moderate  party,  and  was  at 
its  head  in  1680,  when  the  charter  was  in  danger,  and  the 
country  was  hotly  divided  as  to  the  best  course  to  be  pursued, 
—  whether  to  submit  implicitly  to  the  king,  \0r  to  die  by  the 
hands  of  others,  rather  than  by  their  ojvn.  From  tliis  mod- 
eration it  has  sometimes  been  inferred  that  he  was  an  ordinary 
man.     The  important  offices  he  held  show  the  contrary.     No 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  33 

ordinary  man  would  have  been  sent  to  the  court  of  Charles 
at  that  most  critical  period  in  our  colonial  aiFaifs,  or  would 
have  been  replaced  in  the  executive  chair-  when  Andros  was 
deposed.  But  the  authority  of  Winthrop,  who  calls  him  "  a 
very  able  man,"  is  conclusive. 

Of  less  public  distinction  and  of  less  learning  than  Brad- 
street  and  the  others  I  have  named,  was  William  Colburn. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  unquestioned  worth,  and  great  local 
influence  in  town  and  church  for  more  than  thirty  years. 
We  find  him  in  that  company  of  twelve,  including  Johnson, 
Winthrop,  Saltonstall,  Dudley,  and  others,  who  met  at  Cam- 
bridge in  August,  1629,  and  covenanted  to  embark  for  the 
Massachusetts  Plantation,  provided  the  whole  government, 
together  with  the  patent,  be  transferred,  and  be  established 
there.  We  know  the  man  by  his  associates,  and  by  the  reso- 
lute performance  of  a  brave,  self-denying  determination. 

The  excellent  Edward  Rossiter,  a  gentleman  of  good  estate 
from  the  West  of  England,  and  one  of  the  Assistants,  should 
not  be  passed  over  in  this  brief  notice.  He  was  held  in 
great  esteem  among  his  associates,  and  possessed  actual  good 
influence,  with  the  prospect  of  extended  usefulness.  But 
he  was  not  permitted  to  help  on  the  work.  He  was  arrested 
by  death  within  a  little  more  than  two  months  after  his  arri- 
val ;  being  one  of  those  who,  according  to  Cotton  Mather, 
took  New  England  on  their  way  to  Heaven. 

This  slight  enumeration  of  distinguished  laymen  who  came 

over  in    1G30,  imperfect  as   it  is,  would   be   sadly  deficient, 

without  naming  him  who  was  the   leading   spirit,  the  good 

genius  of  the  colony.     Born  to  a  competent  estate,  having  his 

5 


34  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

residence  amidst  the  wholesome  influences  of  the  country; 
bred  to  the  Bar,  as  were  his  father  and  grandfather ;  nursed 
in  the  bosom  of  the  church ;  not  forced  to  labor  by  the  impulse 
of  necessity,  the  predicament  of  the  generality  of  mankind ; 
but  having  nobler  impulses  coming  right  out  from  his  gener- 
ous nature,  xirging  him  to  labor  for  the  good  he  might 
accomplish,  —  we  find  him  in  mature  life  attending  the  meet- 
ing at  Cambridge,  and  subscribing  his  name  to  the  Solemn 
Covenant  there  concluded.  Next  we  find  him,  though  but 
recently  become  a  member  of  the  Company,  preferred  before 
all  others  for  Governor  of  the  incipient  Commonwealth, 
when  it  was  determined  to  remove  the  charter  and  the  govern- 
ment to  New  England. 

And  here  his  history  is  the  history  of  the  colony  until  his 
death  in  1649.  He  was  in  office  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  ;  but,  whether  in  office  or  a  private  citizen,  was  of  potent 
influence,  of  unceasing  energy,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  spend 
and  toil  as  he  might  best  promote  the  public  good.  Of  strong 
good  sense,  he  was  the  wise  man ;  of  clear  discernment,  he 
was  the  sagacious  man ;  of  singular  moderation  and  self-con- 
trol, he  was  the  careful  man ;  full  of  integrity  and  purity,  he 
was  the  conscientious,  religious  man ;  —  like  the  best  men  at 
all  periods,  occasionally  falling  into  unpopularity,  but  waiting 
with  patience  till  time  should  prove  him  to  be  right,  and  his 
adversaries  wrong ;  and  then,  without  compromise  or  sac- 
rifice, regaining  his  ascendency,  and  becoming  more  trusted, 
honored;  and  reverenced,  than  before  j — if  ever  erring,  erring 
in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart ;  and,  like  all  noble  natures, 
prompt  and  ingenuous  to  acknowledge  the  error  when  con- 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  35 

vinced  of  it.  With  a  nice  sense  of  the  liberty  of  the  subject, 
and  still  at  times  apprehensive  lest  the  encroachment  of  the 
popular  sentiment  of  the  less  educated  portion  of  the  commu- 
nity should  weaken  the  strength  and  consistency  of  good 
government,  he  held  on  his  way,  through  good  report  and 
evil  report,  according  to  his  own  views  of  truth  and  duty. 
Deferred  to  by  all  classes,  both  clerical  and  lay,  amid  the 
constant  difficulties  that  surrounded  him,  and  sometimes  em- 
barrassed his  position,  he  pursued  a  steadfast  course,  sustained 
by  his  own  conscience,  and  looking  to  God  and  to  posterity 
to  do  justice  to  his  character. 

He  has  left  us  a  History  of  New  England  that  is  truly 
invaluable.  Without  it  we  should  know  comparatively  little 
of  the  first  nineteen  years  of  the  colony,  —  the  period  of  its 
weaknesses  and  trials,  —  of  the  motives  of  its  leading  men,  or 
of  the  principles  of  its  policy.  With  it  we  have  our  earliest 
landmarks  well  defined,  and  a  record  of  events  on  which  all 
subsequent  historians  have  safely  built.  Upon  those  nine- 
teen years  he  left  an  impress  such  as  no  other  man  has  left, 
and  which  has  survived  through  all  succeeding  generations. 

We  revere  him  as  the  great  founder  and  wise  conservator 
of  the  Commonwealth ;  as  the  skilful  pilot  who  guided  the 
frail  bark  through  the  tempestuous  waters  of  religious  and 
political  strife ;  as  the  choicest  of  that  chosen  seed  in  the 
great  sifting  of  the  nation. 

God,  in  his  providence,  might  have  raised  up  some  one 
equally  competent  to  fill  his  great  measure ;  but  I  know  no 
one  among  all  the  wise  and  learned  men,  his  associates,  who 
could  have  acquired  for  himself  such  an  ascendency  as  he 


36  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

possessed ;  no  one  before  whom  all  others  would  have  bowed 
with  the  same  reverential  regard,  yielding  their  entire  con- 
fidence. In  the  singular  purity,  the  unbending  integrity  and 
independence,  and  other  noble  traits  of  his  private  and  public 
life,  we  recognize  in  type  the  great  qualities  of  John  Jay,  that 
patriot  and  Christian  of  our  Revolution.  All  reverence, 
then,  to  the  name  and  virtues  of  John  Winthrop,  an  instru- 
ment fitly  shaped  for  a  great  work  well  wrought  out !  All 
reverence  to  John  Winthrop,  the  civil  father  of  our  infant 
State,  and  the  .ancestor  of  successive  generations  held  in 
honor  and  esteem  to  the  present  day !  We  go  back  to  no 
robber  demigods  for  our  corner-stone,  but  to  a  well-assured 
name  in  the  culture  and  Christianity  of  Modern  Eiu-ope. 

Of  Aspinwall,  Edward  Johnson,  of  "  Wonder-working  Pro- 
vidence "  memory,  and  others  of  the  year  1630;  —  of  those 
who  came  over  a  few  years  after,  as  Dennison  the  worthy 
Major-General ;  —  Deputy -Governor  Humphrey,  entitled  "  a 
gentleman  of  special  parts,  of  learning  and  activity,  and  a 
godly  man;" — Governor  E-ichard  Bellingham,  the  lawyer, 
quaintly  called  ''  a  great  justiciary,  a  notable  hater  of  bribes, 
firm  and  fixed  in  any  resolution  he  entertained,  of  larger 
comprehension  than  expression,  like  a  vessel  whose  vent 
holdeth  no  good  proportion  with  its  capacity  to  contain,  —  a 
disadvantage  to  a  public  person ; "  —  Sir  Henry  Vane,  well 
known  in  the  wider  sphere  of  English  history ;  —  Governor 
John  Haynes,  a  "gentleman  of  great  estate,"  with  something 
of  Roger  Ludlow's  ambition,  and  more  than  Winthrop's 
severity  in  discipline,  but  doing  good  service  to  the  public ; 
—  Roger  Harlakenden,  termed  "  a  very  godly  man,  and  of 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  37 

good  use  both  in  the  Commonwealth  and  in  the  church," 
who  "  died  in  great  peace,  and  left  a  sweet  memorial  behind 
him  of  his  piety  and  virtue ;  "  —  of  these  and  others  the 
principal  laymen,  I  would  only  say  that  they  were  good 
representatives  of  their  class  in  England,  and  were  men  of 
whom  any  community  might  justly  boast. 

It  would  carry  me  far  beyond  my  purpose  and  your  pa- 
tience to  enlarge  upon  the  members  of  the  clerical  profes- 
sion, who  came  over  in  1630  and  a  few  following  years. 
Their  name  is  legion.  They  were  educated  men,  trained  at 
Oxford  and  Cambridge,  mth  all  the  lights  of  the  age ;  fitted, 
by  crosses  and  a  perplexed  condition  in  their  own  land,  to 
adventure  upon  an  experiment  of  life  in  another  climate, 
and  exerting  here,  during  the  existence  of  the  old  charter, 
an  influence,  political  as  well  as  religious,  such  as  has  never 
been  exercised  by  any  other  body  of  Protestants  in  any 
quarter  of  the  globe  since  the  Reformation.  They  were 
stern,  Old  Testament  men,  tracing  a  resemblance  in  their 
condition  to  that  of  the  Jews ;  believing  it  ordained  that 
the  heathen  should  be  driven  out  before  them ;  brave  men, 
contending  for  their  own  views  of  the  right  through  all  ob- 
loquy, the  sneers  of  the  profligate,  and  the  persecutions  of 
ecclesiastics;  self-denying  men,  denouncing  amusements,  and 
the  lax  principles  of  the  times;  rather  rejoicing  in  being 
called  upon  to  endure  hardship ;  very  humble  before  God, 
but  still  loving  power,  not  perhaps  for  its  own  sake,  but  for 
the  good  they  might  accomplish ;  unbending  to  those  who 
thrust  at  them,  and  loved  them  not ;  austere  in  life  and  con- 
versation, partly  from  their  theology,  and  in  part  from  their 


38  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

position  as  a  sect  everywhere  spoken  against ;  with  many- 
failings,  —  failings  in  the  gentle  virtues  and  in  the  spirit  of 
toleration,  —  but  with  more  virtues  of  the  sturdy  and  un- 
compromising kind,  such  as  the  infant  condition  of  the  colony 
required,  when  an  influx  of  any  opposite  religionists,  or  of 
the  cast-off  adventurers  from  the  Old  World,  might  have 
reduced  it  to  a  perfect  Alsatia. 

The  time  of  our  great  exodus  from  the  mother-country 
was  opportune.  Had  it  been  earlier,  when  kingly  preroga- 
tive was  scarcely  questioned,  and  priestly  power  rejoiced  in 
its  wide-spread  domain,  the  ancestors  of  New  England  might 
have  settled  down  into  unquestioning,  passive  non-resistants, 
with  as  little  of  will  as  of  ability  to  stay  encroachments. 
The  time  was  well  chosen,  when  the  nascent  principle  of 
liberty  was  permeating  the  whole  kingdom ;  when  arbitrary 
measures  in  church  and  state  were  stoutly  questioned  j  when 
the  vigorous,  hardy  elements  of  the  English  character,  our 
inheritance,  were  mustering  and  concentrating  for  the  final 
struggle.  Hampden  had  already  resisted  unjust  taxation; 
and,  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  the  sacred  right  of  dis- 
sent was  taking  definite  shape.  On  the  eve  of  great  events 
the  plantation  was  projected.  In  leaving  their  country,  the 
colonists  escaped  the  intermediate  stage  of  poKty  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  came  at  one  bound  upon  the  In- 
dependent or  Congregational  Platform.  Meanwhile,  the 
troubles  that  were  casting  their  broad  shadows  over  the 
future  of  England  gave  the  planters  an  opportunity  of 
forming  their  theory  of  religious  and  civil  poKty,  and  of  con- 
solidating their  institutions  to  a  considerable  extent. 


AT    LANCASTER;    MASSACHUSETTS. 


39 


Coming  from  a  country  whose  institutions  of  government 
had  remained  for  ages,  they  had  a  framework  for  their 
model  that  required  only  modification  in  its  details  to 
adjust  it  to  their  new  condition.  Thus  saved  from  all 
fanciful  notions,  from  all  transcendental  policy,  from  all  idea 
of  a  social  compact  of  optimists,  like  sensible,  every-day 
men  they  proceeded  to  build  for  themselves  on  old  founda- 
tions with  sound  views,  issuing  from  long-established  prin- 
ciples, sloughing  off  all  feudal  incum1)rances,  and  all  combined 
spiritual  domination. 

What  was  the  future  that,  in  visions  by  day,  or  dreams  by 
night,  was  dimly  discerned  by  the  more  ardent  and  enthu- 
siastic ?  Did  a  great  destiny  spring  up  to  their  view,  as  they 
stood  gazing  upon  the  shifting  lights  passing  rapidly  before 
them,  and  then  settling  down  in  dreary  night,  —  like  the 
prospect  beheld  from  our  mountain-tops,  when  the  storm  sub- 
sides, and  the  breeze  sweeps  along  the  dense  clouds,  which, 
now  in  broken  masses,  in  ever-varying  forms  of  beauty,  with 
edges  of  Hght,  reveal  the  sunshine  and  the  blue  sky,  and, 
while  the  eye  is  beholding  other  mountain-tops  beyond,  with 
pleasant  valley,  hill-side,  and  plain,  infold  themselves  in  one 
grand  volume,  and  close  the  scene  to  human  view  ?  No 
such  picture  presented  itself  to  their  earnest  gaze,  —  no  bril- 
liant vision  in  the  distance ;  but,  still  with  conscious  f\iith 
that  the  invisible  is  real,  and  with  doubts  and  fears  as  to 
their  future  in  this  world,  they  longed  only  for  a  spot  to  which 
they  could  flee  and  be  at  rest.  They  looked  back  upon  their 
own  native  land  - —  the  homes  and  graves  of  their  fathers, 
—  with  yearning  and  affection  ;  but  they  sighed  not  to  return. 


40  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Girt  wp  in  the  power  that  God  had  given  them,  they  were 
ready  to  dare,  to  endure,  and,  if  need  be,  to  die.  They  had 
the  courage  of  men,  and  wore  it  as  a  familiar  garment.  The 
stern  duties  they  had  assumed  left  them  no  choice,  even  had 
they  had  the  purpose  to  retrace  their  steps.  Their  manhood 
and  faith  would  at  once  have  taken  the  alarm,  and  prevented 
the  design. 

And  did  it  demand  stout  hearts  ?  It  may  be  said  that 
others  have  made  equal  sacrifices.  Others  have  made  sac- 
rifices ;  have  gone  to  distant,  barbarous  shores,  and  ventured 
through  seas  of  danger  to  conquer  a  name,  to  gain  celebrity 
by  military  exploit;  and  every  day  the  most  imminent 
hazards  are  run  in  the  greedy  quest  of  gold. 

Adventurers  had  ah'eady  coui'sed  along  our  shores,  estab- 
lishing stations  for  the  convenience  of  fisheries  and  trade.  But 
"  the  wealth  of  Ormus  or  of  Ind  "  was  not  the  object  with  the 
men  of  1-630,  and  their  successors.  They  consecrated  their 
energies  to  no  such  purpose.  Turning  aside  from  the  great 
and  engrossing  object  of  mankind,  the  pursuit  of  wealth,  they 
embarked  with  all  the  materials  required  to  build  up  a  state, 
—  with  their  beloved  charter,  better  than  all  the  household 
gods  of  old,  and  attended  by  a  superintending  Providence, 
ever  shaping  out  their  destinies.  The  elements  they  possessed 
for  a  social  and  political  organization  at  once  took  form  and 
order,  as  it  were,  by  a  self-adjusting  power ;  and  when,  soon 
after,  a  representative  body  was  constituted  out  of  and  instead 
of  the  whole  body  of  freenien,  and  at  the  next  step  this  again 
was  separated  from  the  Board  of  Magistrates  or  Assistants, 
each  possessing  a  negative   upon  the  other,  the  system  of 


AT   LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  41 

republican  government  was  fully  secured.  So  wisely  were 
tlieir  measures  taken,  that  we  have  only  to  record  constant 
progress  ',  and,  even  when  danger  was  threatening  from  within 
or  from  without,  and  there  was  apparent  halting,  their  course 
was  still  onward.  The  condition  of  their  social  and  political 
state,  gradually  gaining  in  strength  and  consistence,  and  de- 
veloping in  symmetrical  proportions,  led,  by  natural  and  easy 
stages,  to  success  in  their  various  encounters,  whether  in 
diplomacy  or  in  war,  until  the  final  establishment  of  an  inde- 
pendent government.  The  great  result  was  not  accompHshed 
under  a  century  and  a  half;  nor  was  it  either  foreseen  or 
predicted :  but  the  curious  student  in  their  history  can  now 
trace  the  causal  relation  with  perfect  distinctness,  ^he 
character  of  the  people,  and  the  quality  of  their  institutions, 
were  touched  to  one  great  issue. 

A  representative  government  was  fairly  derived  from  the 
government  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed  at  home ; 
so  also  the  division  of  their  Commonwealth  into  counties : 
but  the  division  into  towns  had  nothing  like  it  in  theii*  own 
previous  experience,  or  in  any  example  in  the  Old  "World, 
where  cities,  boroughs,  and  towns  were  of  somewhat  diverse 
signification.  Towns  existed  here,  of  coui'se,  from  the  outset, 
as  a  necessaiy  organization ;  but  we  may  search  in  vain  for 
any  authoritative  establishment  in  the  first  years  of  the 
colony.  They  were  not  made  :  they  grew  out  of  the  political 
circumstances  that  demanded  them.  Like  towns  in  England, 
they  had  the  right  of  a  church,  with  the  sacraments;  but 
far  greater  and  very  difierent  privileges  were  soon  accorded 
to  them.  They  became  corporations  as  soon  as  they  were 
6 


42  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

competent  to  manage  their  municipal  affairs.  They  had  towns- 
men, afterwards  called  Selectmen,  to  order  "  the  planting  and 
the  prudential  affairs ;  "  a  Clerk  of  the  Writs,  nominated 
by  the  town,  and  confirmed  by  the  County  Court,  and  so 
called  because  he  had  power  to  issue  "summons"  and  other 
process  in  legal  proceedings,  and  afterwards  called  Town 
Clerk,  with  additional  duties ;  also  Constables,  a  Treasurer, 
Assessors,  and  the  whole  array  of  town  functionaries.  In 
civil  matters,  they  made  provision  for  schools,  for  the  support 
of  theii'  poor,  the  establishment  of  highways,  the  disposition 
of  lands,  the  support  of  a  military  force ;  and  enjoyed  the 
power  of  taxing  themselves,  and  raising  money  to  any  extent 
they  pleased,  for  the  purposes  of  the  town.  Their  importance 
was  further  secured  by  their  corporate  right  of  representation 
in  the  General  Court,  which  brought  them  into  close  contact 
with  legislative  proceedings ;  each  man,  as  it  were,  esteeming 
himself  almost  a  legislator,  —  a  part  of  the  governing  power, 
as  well  as  a  subject ;  and  looking  forward  to  the  time  wlien 
he  should  be  called  by  the  suffrages  of  his  brethren  to  be 
one  of  the  deputies.  A  larger  liberty  was  allowed  than  now 
exists.  Residence  was  not  required  for  representation;  so 
that  if  a  freeman  were  ambitious  of  legislative  life,  and  his 
own  town  were  bHnd  to  his  merits,  he  might  seek  his  consti- 
tuents elsewhere.  Thus,  Thomas  Brattle,  of  Boston,  father 
of  the  Rev.  William  Brattle,  of  Cambridge,  represented 
Lancaster  in  1671  and  1672,  and  Concord  from  1677  to 
1681.  This  privilege  continued  during  the  old  charter, 
and  for  one  or  two  years  under  the  Province  charter.  But 
sundry  members  of  the  House,  chiefly,  inhabitants  of  Boston, 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  43 

representing  towns  in  the  country,  being  opposed  to  the 
Governor,  Sir  William  Phips,  voted  against  the  address  of 
the  majority  of  the  representatives,  who  desired  that  he  might 
not  be  removed  from  office.  To  get  rid  of  these  factious 
gentlemen,  a  law  was  passed,  requmng  residence  as  a  quali- 
fication for  election.  And  thus  a  change,  first  instigated 
by  private  motives,  has  in  the  end  become  a  part  of  our 
organic  law. 

The  liberty  of  discourse  at  town-meetings  was  very  large. 
Listen  to  the  record  :  "  Every  man,  whether  inhabitant  or 
fforeiner,  free  or  not  free,  shall  have  libertie  to  come  to  any 
publique  court,  council,  or  towne  meeting,  and  either  by 
speech  or  writeing  to  move  any  lawfull,  seasonable,  and 
materiall  question,  or  to  present  any  necessary  motion,  com- 
plaint, petition,  bill,  or  information,  whereof  that  meeting 
hath  proper  cognizance,  so  it  be  done  in  convenient  time, 
due  order,  and  respective  manner." 

Thus  much  for  the  power  of  the  towns  in  civil  matters. 
Their  power  in  parochial  concerns  was  equally  broad.  No 
churches  being  recognized  but;  those  of  the  Congregational 
order,  and  parishes  being  originally  co-extensive  with  towns, 
the  towns  were  vested  with  entire  authority  to  contract  with 
their  religious  teachers,  and  raise  money  for  their  support. 
The  practice  of  voluntary  contribution,  however,  prevailed 
for  some  years. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  speak  too  highly  of  the  importance 
of  towns  in  the  history  of  Massachusetts,  or  to  magnify  the 
results  derived  from  their  institution.  They  were  indeed 
miniature  republics,  possessed  of  every  element  of  order  and 


44  CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS 

freedom.  Besides  their  powers,  which  I  have  succinctly 
mentioned,  the  meetings  themselves  are  not  to  be  passed 
over  without  note  of  their  influence.  "  Town-meeting  day  " 
is  a  phrase  of  great  significance ;  representing,  in  an  humble 
degree,  that  which  is  true  of  the  Commonwealth  in  the 
meetings  of  its  General  Court.  From  all  quarters,  —  from 
the  farm  and  the  workshop,  from  hill  and  valley,  the  peo- 
ple gather  together  to  choose  their  officers,  vote  moneys, 
and  discuss  grave  questions  affecting  their  social  and  political 
well-being.  There  all  meet  on  common  ground,  —  the  man 
of  wealth  and  education  side  by  side  with  the  humblest, 
whose  hands  are  hardened  by  honest  toil.  Each  stands  up 
in  his  own  manhood,  and  has  an  equal  claim  to  be  heard ; 
and  the  vote  of  each  is  no  bhnd  exercise  of  power,  but  the 
deliberate  expression  of  one  free  to  choose.  Listen  to  the 
discussions  j  the  homely  statement,  the  sagacious  remark,  and 
it  may  be  the  exhibition  of  an  untaught  native  eloquence ; 
the  outpourings  of  a  generous  natiu-e  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  contracted  spii'it  on  the  other,  —  all  the  proceedings 
conducted  with  the  propriety  and  order  of  larger  deliberative 
assemblies.  All  bow  to  the  forms  as  well  as  the  substance 
of  law ;  all  develops  their  several  capacities,  marked  by  the 
same  characteristics,  and  swayed  by  the  same  motives,  as 
great  parliamentary  bodies. 

Here  we  see,  month  after  month,  year  after  year,  generation 
after  generation,  that  constant  training  of  the  individual 
which  gives  him  a  sense  of  personal  consequence,  instructs 
him  in  his  rights,  and  renders  him  entirely  apt  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  general  government  of  the  State.     As  town- 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  45 

» 

officers,  as  representatives  in  the  Legislature,  as  jurors,  and 
in  other  ways,  large  masses  are  thus  brought  into  immediate 
contact  with  the  practical  working  of  the  laws,  and  become 
marvellously  well  instructed  in  theii*  rights  and  duties.  In 
this  field  of  deliberation  and  controversy  is  sown  the  seed 
that  bears  rich  fruit  in  the  life  of  the  citizen.  Here,  when 
trouble  comes  from  abroad,  and  tyranny  is  scented  in  the 
tainted  breeze,  is  formed  the  vigorous  and  combined  public 
sentiment  that  sways  the  community.  Here  are  witnessed 
brave  resolves,  to  be  carried  out  with  equal  bravery  in  action, 
in  steady  resistance  to  aggression.  Indeed,  we  may  almost 
say  that  the  Revolutionary  War,  so  far  at  least  as  Massachu- 
setts was  concerned,  was  carried  on  under  the  auspices  of  the 
people  in  town-meeting  assembled.  There  the  discussions 
were  had ;  there  great  questions  of  natural  right  and  civil 
liberty  were  debated ;  there  the  supplies  were  voted,  the  men 
raised,  the  sacrifices  made,  and  independence  wrought  out. 

But  all  this  machinery  would  be  of  little  avail,  unless  the 
men  were  found  to  work  it ;  and  the  men  would  not  have 
been  found  to  work  it,  had  ignorance  abounded.  Its  influ- 
ence must  be  correlative  to  the  intelligence  of  the  masses. 
For  this,  early  and  tolerably  ample  provision  was  made. 
The  cultivation  of  the  few,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  many, 
had  ever  been  the  unhappy  condition  of  human  society.  But 
all  this  was  to  be  changed.  The  right  of  instruction,  widely 
diffused,  was  now  to  flow  in,  reaching  the  humblest  indivi- 
dual and  the  remotest  hamlet.  The  leading  men  among  the 
laity  whom  I  have  before  named,  with  their  associates  in 
civil  life,  and  more  particularly  the  ministers  of  the  Congre- 


46  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

gational  churches,  possessed-  about  all  the  learning  of  the  day. 
These  very  men,  whom  it  has  been  the  fashion  with  many  to 
deride  immeasurably  as  bigots  in  the  church,  and  tyrants  in 
the  state,  were  those,  and  those  only,  who  established  the  first 
system  of  free  schools  known  to  the  world  to  be  supported 
by  the  whole  community;  and  they  planted,  side  by  side, 
our  University,  wliich,  from  that  day  to  the  present,  has  been 
the  blessed  instrument  of  incalculable  good.  Possessing  the 
advantage  of  education,  and  exhibiting  its  precious  fruits,  — 
knowing  the  illiterate  state  of  the  humbler  colonists,  existing 
to  such  an  extent  that  being  able  to  read  was  matter  of 
praise,  and  being  able  to  write  was  somewhat  of  a  distinction, 
—  knowing,  too,  that  in  no  way  could  they  preserve  what  they 
had  so  laboriously  established  as  a  free  Commonwealth,  but 
by  assiduous  effort  directed  point-blank  to  the  minds  of  the 
people,  they  entered  upon  the  subject  with  an  earnestness 
and  perseverance  that  insured  early  and  complete  success. 
Nor  was  there  any  of  that  narrow  jealousy  which  it  has  been 
reserved  for  a  later  day,  and  a  time  of  boasted  refi.nement,  to 
manifest ;  as  if  there  were  any  inconsistency  between  the  free 
school  and  the  college.  All  felt  and  acknowledged  their 
mutual  and  beneficial  dependence ;  that  the  college  was  to 
be  nourished  through  the  school,  and  the  school  to  be  pre- 
served and  elevated  through  the  higher  standard  of  the 
college,  —  links  in  one  great  chain,  connecting  all  art  and  all 
science,  and  binding  all  orders  and  conditions  in  one  loving 
embrace. 

All    praise  to   the   men  who   were    first  instrumental   in 
enlightening  the  public  mind,  and  training  up  the  great  body 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  47 

of  citizens,  by  a  constant  exercise  of  the  intellectual  faculties, 
to  a  clearer  perception  of  their  rights  and  obligations,  and  an 
increased  ability  to  preserve  them  !  Let  their  works  praise 
them ;  and  we  of  the  present  generation,  who  have  received 
the  choice  inheritance,  and  live  in  the  sunlight  of  this  great 
blessing,  will  praise  their  practical  sagacity,  and  their  far- 
reaching  vision. 

The  good  sense  of  these  men,  shown  in  the  system  of 
towns,  and  in  the  provision  made  for  religion  and  education, 
is  equally  manifest  in  the  character  of  their  laws.  The 
statute-book  of  a  people  is,  to  a  large  extent,  the  history  of 
that  people,  and  the  key  to  their  condition  in  the  widest 
range.  It  shows  the  progress  of  social  order,  national  indus- 
try, liberty,  and  civilization,  or  the  contrary.*    In  this  respect, 


*  We  very  much  need  an  edition  of  our  statutes  at  large,  from  our  earliest 
colonial  existence,  down  to  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States; 
something  after  the  manner  of  the  English  "  Statutes  of  the  Realm,"  "  The  Acts  of 
the  Parliament  of  Scotland,"  "The  Irish  Statutes  at  Large,"  or  the  United  States 
"  Statutes  at  Large."  It  should  embrace  all  the  laws,  from  the  very  first,  in  chrono- 
logical order,  —  the  temporary  as  well  as  the  perpetual ;  all  that  have  become 
obsolete,  or  have  expired,  or  have  been  repealed,  as  well  as  those  in  force.  It  is  difficult 
now  to  trace  the  course  of  legislation  throughout  our  colonial  and  provincial  condition . 
The  effort  requires  some  bravery  of  spirit,  —  a  determined  resolution.  It  is  not  well 
that  a  Commonwealth  like  Massachusetts  should  be  without  the  statutes  of  her  realm, 
collected  and  printed  to  the  letter.  Besides,  the  archives  of  the  Commonwealth 
contain  many  projets  of  laws,  not  finally  becoming  laws,  but  Very  interesting  and 
instructive  in  the  history  of  our  people.  These  would  come  in  very  well  as  collateral 
illustrations. 

The  printing  of  the  two  earliest  volumes  of  the  Colonial  Records,  so  wisely  recom- 
mended by  his  Excellency  Governor  Clifford  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature,  is 
now  in  progress,  under  the  enlightened  and  careful  supervision  of  Dr.  Natlianicl  B. 
Shurtleff,  to  whom  the  Governor,  with  very  praiseworthy  discrimination,  has  entrusted 
the  undertaking.  This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  May  the  Legislature  of  1854 
take  the  next  step,  and  make  provision  for  the  great  work  of  the  Massachusetts 
Statutes  at  Large. 


48  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

our  ancestors,  in  most  matters  of  their  early  civil  legislation, 
were  as  wise  in  their  generation  as  the  children  of  this  world. 
They  had  no  book  of  Blue  Laws.  Some  offences  were  made 
capital,  to  which  at  this  day  no  penalty  would  bf  affixed ; 
but  otherwise  their  laws  were  generally  appropriate  to  their 
circumstances,  and  very  judicious. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that  the  character  of  our  early 
statute  law  has  been  wholly  misunderstood  until  the  present 
day.  Even  the  inquiring  and  learned  Hutchinson  was 
ignorant  of  the  body  of  laws  actually  adopted.  The  subject 
forms  an  interesting  chapter  in  our  history ;  but  I  can  only 
briefly  touch  upon  it.  In  the  infancy  of  the  plantation,  the 
leading  men  were  somewhat  opposed  to  a  fixed  code ;  not 
from  any  arbitrary  notion,  if  we  take  their  own  statement, 
but,  as  they  say,  from  "  want  of  sufficient  experience  of  the 
nature  and  disposition  of  the  people,  considered  with  the 
condition  of  the  country,  and  other  circumstances ; "  and 
because  "it  would  transgress  the  limits  of  the  charter,"  which 
forbade  any  laws  to  be  made,  "  repugnant  to  the  laws  of 
England ; "  and  "  that,"  says  the  historian,  with  charming 
simplicity,  "  we  were  assm-ed  we  must  do.  But  to  raise  up 
laws  by  practice  and  custom  had  been  no  transgression." 
They  h^d  some  views  of  equity,  in  adapting  judgments  to 
particular  cases,  pro  re  natd.  Of  course,  the  people  were 
not  quite  easy  under  this  dispensation,  and  saw  clearly 
enough,  with  all  regard  for  the  magistrates  and  elders,  that 
there  would  be  no  safety  for  the  civil  state,  unless  laws  were 
established  on  a  proper  basis ;  so  that  discretion,  the  fore- 
runner of  arbitrary  power,  might  be  wholly  taken  away. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  49 

From  1635  to  1641,  six  long  years,  this  subject  "was 
mooted  through  many  sessions  of  the  General  Coiut.  At 
one  time,  in  1636,  worthy  Mr.  Cotton,  who  was  one  of  those 
who  were  appointed  to  compile  a  body  of  fundamental  laws, 
presented  "  a  copy  of  Moses  his  judicials  compiled  in  an 
exact  method;"  which  were  taken  into  consideration  till  the 
next  General  Court.  No  evidence  exists  that  they  were  ever 
acted  upon:  certain  it  is  they  were  never  adopted.  This 
code,  however,  of  "  Moses  his  judicials,"  seems  to  be  the 
same  that  was  published  in  England  in  1641,  under  the 
title  of  "  An  Abstract  of  the  Laws  of  New  England  as  they 
are  now  estabhshed."  It  contains  many  provisions  of  prac- 
tical import,  well  fortified  with  references  to  texts  in  the 
Old  Testament.  Some  of  the  provisions  were  not  particu- 
larly democratic.  Thus  the  magistrates  were  to  be  selected 
out  of  the  ranks  of  noblemen  or  gentlemen,  the  best  that 
God  shall  send  into  the  country,  to  be  chosen  for  life,  un- 
less removed  for  good  cause.  "  More  large  and  honorable 
accommodations  "  in  land  were  to  be  given  to  men  of  eminent 
quality  and  descent,  in  regard  to  their  greater  disbursements 
to  pubHc  charges.  No  landholder  could  convey  his  estate 
to  any  one  but  a  freeman  of  the  same  town.  Wages  of 
labor  were  to  be  regulated.  Some  twenty  crimes  were  made 
punishable  with  death, —  among  them,  heresy ;  wilful  perjuiy ; 
profaning  the  Lord's  day  in  a  careless  and  scornful  neglect 
or  contempt  thereof;  reviling  of  the  magistrates  in  highest 
rank ;  rebellious  chilcben,  continuing  in  riot  or  drunkenness 
after  correction,  or  cursing  or  smiting  their  parents. 

There  was  one  provision,  copied  from  Deuteronomy,  and 
7 


50  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

relating  to  military  exempts,  that  would  have  been  of  blessed 
comfort  to  some  citizens  in  the  subsequent  Indian  wars.  It 
runs  thus  :  "  Men  betrothed  and  not  married,  or  newly  mar- 
ried, or  such  as  have  newly  built  or  planted,  and  not  received 
the  fruit  of  their  labor,  and  such  as  are  faint-hearted  men,  are 
not  to  be  forced  against  their  wills  to  go  forth  to  wars." 

Well  had  it  been,  thought  William  Aspinwall,  a  friend  of 
Cotton  in  the  Antinomian  war,  had  the  Massachusetts  "  had 
the  heart  to  have  received  "  this  code.  He  confesses  that  it 
is  not  without  imperfections,  but  is  "  bold  to  say  that  it  far 
•surpasseth  all  municipal  laws  and  statutes  of  any  of  the 
Gentile  nations  and  corporations  under  the  cope  of  heaven;" 
reaching  "  to  all  persons,  nations,  and  times,  and  is  a  perfect 
standard  to  admeasure  all  judicial  actions  and  causes,  whether 
civil  or  criminal,  by  sea  or  land ;  "  —  and  much  more  of  this 
marvellous  praise.  Governor  Hutchinson  does  not  go  so  far 
as  to  assert  that  this  abstract  was  adopted.  He  states  that 
the  legislators  made  it  their  plan  in  general,  departing  from 
it  in  many  instances,  and  in  some  which  were  very  material. 
But  this  was  not  the  case,  as  would  have  been  manifest  to 
him,  had  he  known  the  laws  that  were  actually  adopted. 
A  system  more  honorable  to  the  good  sense  of  our  ancestors 
was  the  chosen  one.  Winthrop  says  that  the  General  Court 
in  December,  1641,  "established  one  hundred  laws,  which 
were  called  the  '  Body  of  Liberties.'  They  had  been  com- 
posed by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Ward,  sometime  pastor  of  the 
•  chmxh  of  Ipswich.  He  had  been  a  minister  in  England, 
and  formerly  a  student  and  practiser  in  the  course  of  the 
common    law."       This    Nathaniel    Ward,    the    well-known 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  51 

author  of  the  "  Simple  Cobler  of  Agawam,"  has  the  high 
praise  of  having  prepared,  and,  so  far  as  appears,  single- 
handed,  the  first  code  of  laws  known  in  Massachusetts ; 
relieving  the  people  from  the  presence  of  all  discretionary 
authority  on  the  part  of  the  governors,  and  forming  an 
excellent  foundation  for  the  construction  of  the  jurisprudence 
of  the  Commonwealth.  Except  some  few  particulars  be- 
longing to  the  period,  it  shows  throughout  a  clear  apprehen- 
sion of  the  provisions  of  the  common  law,  and  the  liberties  of 
the  subject  as  contained  in  Magna  Charta.  It  marks  the 
exact  and  well-read  lawyer,  not  overlaid  nor  clouded  by  his 
subsequent  clerical  training  (I  speak  it,  of  course,  in  no 
offensive  sense),  but  retaining  the  freshness  of  his  previous 
professional  discipline.  I  repeat,  then,  that  they  of  the 
Massachusetts  were  eminently  wise  men  in  adopting  Ward's 
system.  They  must  have  easily  remarked  the  vast  difference 
between  the  two  codes :  that  "Ward's  was  an  ample  rule  for 
a  civil,  enlightened  community;  and  Cotton's  a  singular 
theorem,  like  the  apostle  Eliot's  "  Christian  Commonwealth," 
adapted  to  no  existing  people.  Christian  or  Pagan. 

The  true  history  of  our  early  legislation  has  been  involved 
in  obscurity,  because  the  code  remained  in  manuscript  for 
two«centuries.  Writteif  copies  were  sent  to  the  few  to^vns 
then  constituting  the  colony  j  but  the  laws  never  appeared  in 
print  till  some  ten  years  since,  —  the  result  of  an  accidental 
discovery  by  an  exact  and  critical  scholar,*  who  has  triumph- 
antly vindicated  the  "  Body  of  Laws  and  Liberties  "  as  our 
fundamental  code.     But,  while  it  approves  itself  in  almost 

*  Hon.  Francis  0.  Gray.     Col.  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.  vol.  xxviii. 


52  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

every  particular  to  the  student  of  jurisprudence,  other  laws 
were  added  from  time  to  time,  showing  the  peculiar  temper 
and  characteristics  of  the  people  of  the  Bay,  as  they  were 
daily  becoming  more  distinctive,  —  such  as  laws  punishing 
non-attendance  at  church ;  punishing  the  keeping  of  Christ- 
mas by  forbearing  to  labor,  by  feasting,  &c. ;  laws  against 
heresy,  and  against  the  Quakers,  Jesuits,  and  Anabaptists. 

Chalmers  takes  no  notice  of  Ward's  code.  Indeed,  where 
Hutchinson  was  in  ignorance,  Chalmers  could  have  no  know- 
ledge ;  and  so  he  runs  into  the  general  error,  and  charges 
that  the  laws  were  compiled  chiefly  from  the  Jewish  sys- 
tem. He  complains  also  that  the  common  and  statute  laws 
of  England  were  no  more  regarded  here  than  in  Germany  or 
France.  This  complaint  is  neither  wholly  true  nor  wholly 
false.  They  did  not  adopt  the  whole,  or  any  part,  as  a  system 
by  which  they  were  bound  as  subjects  of  England ;  but  they 
did  adopt  whatever  they  deemed  suited  to  their  condition, 
consistent  with  right  reason,  and  not  in  conflict  with  the 
word  of  God.  And  they  silently  rejected  the  English  system, 
as  such, — not  from,  any  idea  of  independency,  as  was  falsely 
urged,  even  at  that  early  period,  by  Dr.  Child  and  his  asso- 
ciates ;  repeated  by  the  Commissioners  of  Charles  Stuart,  by 
Randolph,  Chalmers,  and  the  Courlf  party  generally, — tbut 
that  they  might  enjoy  in  peace  what  they  had  attained 
at  the  costly  sacrifice  of  kindred  and  countiy.  And  this 
solemn  purpose  it  was  their  good  pleasure  to  manifest  in 
every  way  in  their  power,  at  least  up  to  the  extremest  verge 
of  their  chartered  rights.  Circumstances  wrought  favorably 
for  them  in  this  respect,  at  very  important  points  of  time ; 


AT   LANCASTER,   MASSACHUSETTS.  53 

first,  in  the  troubles  in  ipngland,  ending  in  the  execution  of 
Charles,  and  preventing  undue  interference  in  colonial 
affairs ;  and,  next,  in  the  sympathy  between  the  colonists  and 
Cromwell,  when  they  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  favor  more 
than  royal,  and  gained  immunities  of  trade,  which,  seconded 
by  their  own  industry  and  sagacity,  added  largely  and  rapidly 
to  their  wealth  and  power.  But,  except  during  the  Protec- 
torate, Massachusetts  was  the  least  favored  of  all  the  colonies, 
from  the  first  planting  till  the  final  separation  from  the 
mother-country. 

I  would  not  pass  from  this  general  subject,  without  taking 
notice  of  one  of  the  many  ways  in  which  the  sensitive  nature 
of  Massachusetts  guarded  every  avenue  that  might  admit 
interference  from  the  government  at  home ;  one  that  was 
very  bold  and  successful  through  a  series  of  favoring  events. 
She  was  exceedingly  jealous  of  appeals  from  her  decisions, 
either  to  the  King  in  Council  or  to  the  P*liament.  The 
haughtiest  monarch  could  not  have  been  more  so.  And 
justly,  was  she  jealous,  so  far  as  the  safety  of  the  colony  was 
concerned,  whatever  interpretation  was  to  be  given  to  the 
charter.  As  early  as  1640,  when  the  colony  was  in  the 
tenderest  gristle,  when  Parliament  was  mighty,  and  the  King 
was  weak,  they  were  advised  by  their  friends  in  England  to 
sotcit  favors  of  Parliament.  Many,  doubtless,  might  have 
been  obtained.  Did  they  seize  the  opportunity  with  avidity  ? 
Not  so  ;  but,  with  cautious,  clear-sighted  wisdom,  after  grave 
deliberation,  even  at  the  risk  of  appearing  ungrateful,  or 
of  seeming  to  despise  a  rising  power,  they  very  decidedly  de- 
clined.    They  saw  plainly  that  this  would  be  that  •'  first  step  " 


54  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

that  would  "  cost ;  "  a  favor  receivecl^specially  after  solicita- 
tion, would  uncomfortably  bind  the  recipient.  The  bestow- 
ing  power  would  be  likely  to  claim  a  right  to  interfere  with 
the  direction  and  control  of  colonial  affairs ;  and  a  state  of 
dependence  would  be  the  result.  The  sentiment  of  gratitude 
would  be  well  enough  between  man  and  man ;  but,  between 
two  communities,  it  would  soon  bring  about  the  relation  of 
master  and  servant,  by  a  sure  rule  of  political  science.  In 
their  instructions  to  "Winslow,  they  say,  "  If  it  should  be  ob- 
jected why  we  make  not  out  our  processes  in  the  King's  name, 
you  shall  answer.  First,  that  we  should  thereby  waive  the 
power  of  our  government  granted  to  us ;  for  we  claim  not  as 
by  commission,  but  by  a  free  donation  of  absolute  government 
granted  to  us ;  Second,  for  avoiding  appeals,"  &c.  They 
made  the  distinction,  however,  that  they  were  subject  to  some 
laws  of  state  proper  to  foreign  plantations,  and  that  was  the 
utmost  they  wt)uld  ever  admit.  Dr.  Child  and  others,  in 
their  petition  in  1646,  made  a  brave  threat,  that,  if  those 
of  their  denomination  were  not  taken  into  the  congregation, 
"  they  should  be  necessitated  to  apply  their  humble  desires  to 
Parliament  to  provide  able  ministers  for  them."  The  elders, 
however,  had  advised  that  the  charter  gave  full  power  to 
make,  all  laws,  and  final  determination  in  all  cases  in  the 
administration  of  justice ;  from  which,  of  course,  they  deducj^d 
the  opinion  that  no  appeals  could  be  taken.  "When,  therefore, 
the  petitioners  threatened  to  appeal  to  England,  Governor 
Winthi'op  told  them,  in  very  plain  language,  "  he  would  ad- 
mit no  appeal,  nor  was  it  allowed  by  their  charter."  They 
were  dealt  with  in  the  most  summary  manner.     Fortunately, 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  55 

at  this  time  all  power  had  passed  from  royalty ;  and  Parlia- 
ment, being  in  religious  sympathy  with  the  colonists,  did 
not  hesitate  to  discountenance  Child,  Gorton,  and  others,  in 
their  attempt  to  obtain  redress.  "  We  intend  not,"  saith 
Parliament,  "  to  encourage  any  appeal  from  your  justice,  but 
to  leave  you  with  all  that  freedom  and  latitude  that  may  in 
any  respect  be  claimed  by  you."  Of  course,  they  were  now 
safe  iji  being  as  stern  and  uncompromising  as  they  pleased ; 
and  unfortunate  were  those  who  fell  binder  their  sharp  dis- 
pleasure. 

The  time  was  more  alarming  after  the  Restoration,  when  all 
fellow-feeling  was  withdrawn,  and  the  colonists  were  regarded 
as  schismatics  in  church,  and  republicans  in  politics.  They 
most  earnestly  urge  Leverett,  their  agent  in  London,  to  take 
care  that  no  appeal  be  permitted  in  civil  and  criminal  cases  j 
"  which,"  say  they  very  forcibly,  "  would  be  sucli  an  intolle- 
rable  and  unsupportable  burthen  as  this  poore  place  (at  this 
distance)  are  not  able  to  undergoe ;  but  would  render  autho- 
ritie  and  government  vaine  and  ineffectual,  and  bring  us  into 
contempt  with  all  sortes  of  people."  Leverett  himsel:^  while 
in  London,  was  charged  with  saying,  that,  "  rather  than 
admit  of  appeals,  we  would  sell  the  country  to  the  Spaniards." 
lie  denied  the  charge.  The  King's  Committee,  however, 
pardoned  it,  if  made,  and  regarded  the  words,  not  so  'much 
Leverett's, "  as  the  spirit  of  the  country."  He  was  pressed  by 
one  of  the  Committee  to  say  whether  Massachusetts  would 
not  cast  off  her  allegiance  and  subjection  if  she  "  durst." 
"  We  apprehend  we  are  honest  men,"  says  Leverett,  ''  and 
have  declared  in  our  application  to  his  Majesty  to  the  con- 


56  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

trary ;  and  therefore  [he]  could  not  have  such  thought  of  us, 
without  the  breach  of  charity." 

When  the  Commissioners  came  over,  armed  as  they  sup- 
posed with  irresistible  authority,  and  claimed  a  right  to  hear 
appeals,  Plymouth,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut  yielded  at 
once,  and  the  Commissioners  proceeded  to  entertain  appeals. 
Those  colonies  submitted,  if  not  gracefully,  yet  very  quietly ; 
and  the  two  former  made  great  demonstration  and  promise 
of  loyalty  and  obedience.^  Purposely  did  the  Commissioners 
first  deal  with  those  three  colonies,  trusting  that  so  good  an 
example  would  not  be  lost,  and  that  it  would  "  abate  the 
refractoriness  "  of  Massachusetts.  The  story  is  well  known  of 
their  efforts  while  in  Boston  to  hear  appeals ;  and  the  procla- 
mation of  the  General  Court,  by  sound  of  trumpet,  declaring 
that  body  the  supreme  court  of  judicature,  and  that  they 
would  not  permit  appeals.  They  did  not  permit  them. '  The 
Commissioners  were  still  more  incensed  with  the  impertur- 
bable coolness  of  the  General  Court,  in  a  case  in  which  the 
Couit  itself  was  in  fact  the  defendant,  on  charges  brought 
against  it  by  a  complaining  party,  and  invited  the  Commission- 
ers to  be  present.  But  this  very  peculiar  proceeding,  of  a  de- 
fendant sitting  in  his  own  cause,  was  what  the  lawyers  would 
call  "  a  case  of  novel  impression,"  not  laid  down  in  the  books  ; 
and  was  not  agreeable  to  the  Commissioners.  They  declined 
the  invitation  with  some  indignation.  "  Major  Hathorne,"  they 
said,  "  made  a  seditious  speech  at  the  head  of  his  regiment, 
and  Governor  Endecott  another  at  the  Boston  meeting-house, 
but  were  not  questioned  for  it."  Randolph,  in  1676,  takes  up 
the  refrain :  "  The  government  acknowledges  no  superior,  nor 


AT    LANCASTER;    MASSACHUSETTS.  57 

admits  of  any  appeal  to  his  Majesty,  whose  arms  are  not  set 
up  in  any  of  their  courts,  meetings,  or  public  assemblies." 

In  this  matter  of  appeals,  so  important,  so  vital,  Massachu- 
setts stood  alone ;  uttering  but  one  voice,  and  acting  with 
but  one  purpose,  throughout  the  whole  of  her  colonial  his- 
tory ]  thus  justifying,  to  some  extent,  the  querulous  remark 
of  Chalmers,  that  it  was  "an  overruling  principle  in  the 
colonial  policy  of  England  that  refractoriness  always  procured 
concession,  which  has  at  all  times  been  attended  with  the 
most  consequential  effects."  This  refractory  spirit  the  ene- 
mies of  the  plantation  saw  fit  to  detect  very  early  in  the  day. 
Sunlight  had  scarcely  penetrated  the  forests  around  Boston, 
then  but  tliree  years  old ;  the  planters  were  comparatively 
few  in  number,  after  the  struggles  with  a  hard  winter  and  a 
new  cKmate,  when  they  were  charged  by  Gardiner,  Morton, 
and  Ratcliffe,  with  intending  to  rebel,  and  cast  off  their 
allegiance.  Of  course,  a  very  absurd  charge ;  but  worthy  of 
notice,  because  it  shows  how  early  the  colonists  wished,  so 
far  as  practicable,  to  manage  their  own  affairs.  They  were 
very  ready  to  admit  allegiance,  when  pressed  to  the  question, 
but  never  ready  to  ask  for  assistance  in  any  emergency. 
They  protected  themselves  in  every  difficulty,  and  amid  all 
the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare.  When  worried  by  mandates 
from  home,  requiring  their  submission,  they  threw  themselves 
upon  their  chartered  rights,  or  the  necessities  of  theu*  condi- 
tion; and  if,  after  exhausting  all  other  efforts,  they  could 
neither  "avoid  nor  protract,"  it  was  not  then*  practice  to 
submit,  but  to  rest  quietly,  wait  upon  Providence,  and  abide 
the  issue  of  events. 


58  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

It  is  no  part  of  my  purpose  to  detail  the  course  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  her  many  instances  of  peaceful  resistance,  so 
characteristic  and  full  of  interest.  It  would  be  but  repeating 
the  salient  points  of  her  history,  all  along  the  line,  for  a 
century  and  a  half.  Much  less  is  it  my  object  to  dwell  uj)on 
the  often-repeated  charges  that  have  been  brought  against 
her.  It  is  a  pretty  wide  subject,  and  the  field  of  discussion 
is  large.  With  a  few  exceptions,  a  complete  defence  of  her 
policy  might  be  established,  taking  her  own  point  of  view, 
and  considering  the  peculiarities  of  her  situation.  It  might 
be  easily  shown,  and  the  true  historian  of  Massachusetts, 
when  summoned  to  the  great  work,  will  show,  that  her  sharp 
spirit  and  stringent  legislation  both  combined  to  consolidate 
her  strength  at  an  early  day,  and  led  her  on  through  succes- 
sive stages,  securing  at  each  point  what  she  had  ah'eady 
acquired,  until,  disciplined  by  adversity  and  invigorated  by 
prosperity,  she  was  able  to  lead  in  the  great  and  solemn 
appeal  to  the  last  remedy  of  a  people  standing  for  their 
rights.  I  would  not,  if  I  could,  conceal  her  blemishes  nor 
extenuate  her  faults.  Over  and  above  them  all  appear  her 
brave. spirit,  her  indomitable  industry  and  perseverance,  her 
lofty  virtues,  her  good  order,  and  her  stable  institutions. 

It  will  doubtless  be  expected,  by  some  of  my  audience  at 
least,  that  I  should  dwell  at  length  upon  the  history  of  this 
place.  The  day  would  not  be  sufficient  for  the  purpose ;  but 
it  will  never  answer  in  the  play  to  omit  the  principal  charac- 
ter. "What  I  propose  to  say  can  be  well  enough  compressed 
within  my  remaining  space. 

The  territory  of  Lancaster  was  probably  never  trodden  by 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  59 

tlie  white  man  much  ear  her  than  the  year  1643,  thirteen  years 
after  the  first  settlement  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  It  may  be 
that  some  bold  adventurer  from  Watertown  or  Sudbury  had 
previously  ventured  to  trap  the  beaver  or  hunt  the  deer  some- 
what beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  present  town  of  Stow ;  but 
who  would  peril  himself  by  passing  the  bristling  "Wataquodoc 
hills,  that  divide  the  waters  of  the  Assabet  from  those 
of  the  Nashaway,  so  distant  from  any  outside  support,  and 
with  dense  forests  between  ?  Along  these  pleasant  waters, 
through  these  fertile  valleys,  on  these  sunny  hills,  the  Indian 
strayed  unmolested,  in  all  the  wildness  and  liberty  of  his 
unconstrained  condition,  as  did  his  ancestors  for  ages  before 
him.  In  all  times,  this  vicinity,  with  its  numerous  little 
lakes,  its  running  streams,  and  its  intervales  of  easy  cultiva- 
tion, scattered  all  over  Avith  the  stately  elm  and  sturdy 
walnut,  must  have  been  a  favorite  residence  of  the  Indian. 
Here  he  reverenced  the  Great  Spirit  for  the  beauties  of 
creation,  —  here  he  could  sow  beside  the  still  waters,  draw 
his  sustenance  from  their  bosom,  and  from  the  wooded  coun- 
try around.  Here  the  rude  chief  bore  easy  sway  over  his 
tribe,  disturbed  only  by  the  fear  of  the  war-parties  of  the 
Narragansetts,  or  the  more  distant  and  more  dreaded  Maquas, 
the  terror  and  scourge  of  the  New-England  Indians. 

At  the  time  when  this  territory  first  opened  upon  the 
view  of  the  white  man,  the  good  Sholan,  or  Shaumauw, 
exercised  a  peaceful  rule,  in  this  his  little  empire,  over  the 
tribe  of  the  Nashaways.  His  principal  residence  was  a  few 
miles  distant  from  this  spot,  on  a  gentle  eminence,  between 
the  two  lakes  of  the  Washacum. 


60  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Early  in  the  seventeenth  centuiy,  the  various  tribes,  the 
Pequots  in  Connecticut,  the  Narragansetts  chiefly  in  Rhode 
Island,  the  Pawkunnawkuts  in  Plymouth  Colony  and  its 
vicinity,  the  Massachusetts  in  the  Bay,  and  the  Pawtuck- 
etts  extending  east  to  the  Piscataqua,  were  populous  and 
powerful.  The  Pequots  retained  their  power,  as  a  great  and 
warlike  people,  until  their  swift  and  terrible  destruction  by 
the  English,  in  1637;  and  the  Narragansetts  until  a  hke 
destruction,  in  1675;  while  the  Pawkunnawkuts,  the  Massa- 

i 

chusetts,  and  the  Pawtucketts,  some  eight  years  before  the 
settlement  of  Plymouth,  had  been  swept  over  by  a  dreadful 
pestilence,  reducing  their  numbers  from  many  thousands  to 
a  few  hundi'eds.  Thus,  in  the  belief  of  the  Pilgrims  and 
Pmdtans,  was  a  way  laid  open,  by  a  special  dispensation  of 
Providence,  for  the  introduction  of  the  people  of  God, — 
another  Canaan  prepared  for  the  reception  of  another  peculiar 
people. 

The  tribe  of  the  Nashaways  suifered,  though  not  equally, 
with  the  others;  but  neither  history  nor  tradition  enables 
the  inquii'er  to  determine  their  number  or  theii'  power. 
The  Massachusetts,  that  had  been  a  numerous  people,  held 
dominion  over  this  tribe,  which  Gookin  mentions  as  being 
in  the  Nipmuck  country,  though  it  is  generally  supposed  by 
antiquaries  of  the  present  day  to  have  been  outside  of  it. 
However  this'  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  Nashaways  were 
never,  within  memory  or  according  to  tradition,  subject  to  any 
of  the  neighboring  tribes,  but  only  to  the  Massachusetts,  who, 
before  1612,  could  send  some  thi'ee  thousand  men  into  the 
field.     It  would  be  interesting  to  inquire  into  and  develope 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  61 

the  history  of  our  tribe ;  to  ascertain  the  period  of  its  power 
and  decadency ;  to  give  an  account  of  its  intercourse  with 
the  early  settlers  in  the  valley;  and  to  perpetuate  some 
anecdotes  of  the  men  and  the  time.  But,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  glimmering,  fitful  lights,  all  is  as  dark  as  its  sad  fate. 
We  first  hear  of  the  Nashaways  in  1643  as  a  peaceful 
people  and  friendly  to  the  English,  whose  rapid  increase  in 
population,  strength,  and  spread,  must  have  filled  them  with 
astonishment,  and  whose  deadly  blow,  that  prostrated  the 
Pequots,  must  have  inspired  them  with  terror.  Finding  that 
some  petty  chiefs,  who  had  placed  themselves  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  English  a  few  years  before,  were  fully 
protected  in  their  persons  and  lands  against  their  enemies  the 
Narragansetts,  Cutshamequin,  the  head  of  the  Massachusetts 
remnants,  Nashacowam  and  Wassamagoin,  Sachems,  near 
Wachusett,  with  two  other  chiefs,  came  to  Boston  in  the 
spring  of  1644,  and  in  like  manner  tendered  themselves, 
and  all  the  Indians  between  the  river  Merrimack  and 
Taunton ;  desiring  to  be  received  under  the  English  protec- 
tion and  government.  So  they  were  instructed  in  the  same 
articles  and  in  the  ten  commandments.  The  answers  of  the 
latter  chiefs  to  these  articles  probably  agreed  in  substance 
with  the  answers  of  the  first  who  surrendered  theii'  sove- 
reignty. They  desired  "  to  speak  reverently  of  the  English- 
man's God ; "  and,  when  enjoined  not  to  swear  falsely, 
innocently  answered  they  "never  knew  what  swearing  an 
oath  was."  With  equal  innocence,  when  enjoined  not  to  do 
any  unnecessary  work  on  the  Lord's  day  within  the  gates 
of  proper  towns,  they  said  "  it  was  a  small  thing  for  them  to 


62  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

rest  on  that  day,  for  they  had  not  much  to  do  any  day ;  and 
therefore  they  will  forbear  on  that  day,"  —  and  so  on  through 
the  chapter.  Cutshamequin  and  his  brother  Sachems  were 
''  solemnly  received,"  saith  the  historian, "  and  then, presented 
the  Court  with  twenty-six  fathom  more  of  wampum,  and  the 
Court  gave  each  of  them  a  coat  of  two  yards  of  cloth,  and 
their  dinner,  and  to  them  and  every  of  them  a  cup  of  sack 
at  their  departui-e  :  so  they  took  their  leave,  and  went  away 
very  joyful."  This  was  considered  a  very  grave  and  impor- 
tant proceeding,  not  only  worthy  to  be  recorded,  but  to  be 
the  chief  occasion  of  a  special  session  of  the  General  Court. 

Unless  misled  by  the  orthography  of  the  name,  I  suppose 
we  have  in  this  record  the  submission  of  the  Nashaway  tribe 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  colonial  government.  The  tribe 
did  not  belong  to  the  old  towns  of "  praying  Indians,"  as 
they  were  called,  but  was  one  of  the  seven  new  praying 
towns  in  the  Nipmuck  country ;  a  territory  not  very  exactly 
defined.  They  were  too  remote  from  the  old  towns  to  be 
visited  very  often  by  the  good  apostle  Eliot,  or  to  receive 
much  benefit  from  his  influence.  But  they  were  not,  as  I 
once  supposed,  left  without  witness.  The  good  man  visited 
them  in  1648,  and  labored  earnestly  for  their  welfare.  He 
writes  encouragingly :  "  Shawanon,  the  great  Sachym  of  Na- 
shawog,  doth  embrace  the  gospel,  and  pray  unto  God.  I  have 
been  four  times  there  this  summer,  and  there  be  more  people 
by  far  than  be  amongst  us,  and  sundry  of  them  do  gladly 
hear  the  word  of  God ;  but  it  is  nearly  forty  miles  ofi",  and 
I  can  but  seldom  go  to  them.  Whereat  they  are  troubled, 
and  desire  I  should  come  oftener,  and  stay  longer  when  I 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  63 

come."  He  was  there  again  on  his  mission  of  Christian  love 
in  1649,  when  the  kind  Sachem  rendered  him  a  grateful 
service.  There  was  some  stir  betwixt  the  Narragansetts  and 
the  Mohegans,  and  several  murders  had  been  committed ;  so 
that  Eliot's  people  were  unwilHng  that  he  should  risk  his 
life  by  journeying  to  Quaboag,  or  Brookfield;  as  he  had  pur- 
posed ;  —  "  which;  when  the  ISTashaway  Sachem  heard,"  says 
Eliot,  "  he  commanded  twenty  armed  men  (after  their  man- 
ner) to  be  ready ;  and  himself  with  these  twenty  men,  besides 
sundry  of  our  neer  Indians,  went  along  with  me  to  guard 
me."  But,  after  all,  his  hold  upon  these  people  was  very 
slight.  He  writes  complainingly,  in  1650,  of  the  delay  for 
want  of  means ;  and  says,  "  that  whereas,  at  my  first  preach- 
ing at  Nashawogg,  sundry  did  embrace  the  word,  and  called 
upon  God,  and  Pauwawing  was  wholly  silenced  among  them 
all,  yet  now,  partly  being  forty  miles  off,  and  principally  by 
the  slow  progress  of  the  work,  Sathan  hath  so  emboldened 
the  Pauwawes,  that  this  winter  (as  I  hear  to  my  grief)  there 
has  been  Pauwawing  again  with  some  of  them."  We  hear 
nothing  further  of  the  Nashaways,  nor  of  the  apostle's  exer- 
tions in  their  behalf,  for  four  years.  The  gentle  Showanon 
died  in  1654.  The  General  Court,  apprehensive  of  his  suc- 
cessor, and  describing  the  Nashaways  as  "  a  great  people,  who 
have  submitted  to  this  jurisdiction,"  sent  Nowell  and  Eliot 
to  direct  their  choice  of  a  successor ;  "  their  eyes  being  upon 
two  or  three  which  are  of  the  blood,  one  whereof  is  a  very 
debaust,  drunken  fellow,  and  no  friend  to  the  English; 
another  of  them  is  very  hopeful  to  learn  the  things  of  Christ. 
If,  therefore,  these  gentlemen  may,  by  way  of  persuasion  or 


64  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

counsel,  not  by  way  of  compulsion;  prevayle  with  them  for 
the  choyce  of  such  an  one  as  may  be  most  fitt,  it  would  be 
a  good  service  to  the  country." 

I  cannot  state  positively  the  success  of  these  missionaries. 
No  royal  archives  of  the  Nashaways  remain  to  enable  me  to 
declare  upon  whom  the  crown  fell  j  but  the  one  described  as 
possessing  no  enviable  reputation  corresponds  well  with  the 
character  of  Shoshanim,  who  was  second  from  Sholan,  and 
was  at  the  head  of  the  tribe  in  Philip's  war. 

The  earliest  intimation  we  have  of  the  coming  degeneracy 
of  this  people  is  connected,  in  point  of  time,  with  their 
proximity  to  the  whites.  It  may  have  been  an  accidental 
coincidence ;  but,  as  the  facts  of  history  are  so  decisive  in 
other  instances,  we  may  here  reasonably  infer  the  same  rela-* 
tion  of  cause  and  effect ;  and  that  the  white  man,  who,  from 
his  superior  intelligence,  should  have  been  instrumental  in 
recovering  the  savage  from  his  barbarism,  was  guilty  of  his 
debasement  and  moral  rmn.  The  tribe,  had  at  this  time 
recovered,  to  what  extent  I  knqw  not,  from  the  pestilence  of 
1612.  A  new  generation  had  grown  to  manhood.  They 
were  now  more  numerous  and  prosperous  than  at  any  subse- 
quent period.  The  General  Court,  as  we  have  seen,  speak 
of  them  as  a  ''great  people ; "  and  Eliot  says,  "  There  be 
more  people  by  far  than  be^  amongst  us."  But  they  did 
not  attempt  to  advantage  themselves  by  their  position.  The 
early  settlers,  though  in  their  power,  were  rewarded  by  no 
treachery,  but  constantly  met  with  kind  treatment  and  assid- 
uous service.  I  suppose  the  palmiest  state  of  the  tribe  was 
about  ten  years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town.     A  long 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  05 

interval  of  peace  had  so  recruited  their  strength,  that  they 
ventured  on  a  war  against  the  Maquas,  which  lasted  several 
years,  and  was  not  terminated  until  1671.  During  this 
war,  they  united  with  other  tribes,  making  a  force  of  six  or 
seven  hundred  men,  and  marched  into  the  distant  country  of 
the  Maquas,  or  Mohawks,  on  the  river  of  that  name.  The 
incursion  was  disastrous.  The  invaders  were  compelled  to 
retreat,  after  having  lost  in  the  principal  fight  some  fifty  of 
their  chief  men,  and  perhaps  as  many  more  in  other  attacks 
and  by  sickness.  The  Nashaway  tribe,  it  may  be  supposed, 
suffered  equally  with  their  confederates ;  so  that  Gookin, 
writing  in  1674,  speaks  of  them  as  having  ^^  been  a  great 
people  in  former  times,"  and  says  that  of  late  years  they  "have 
been  consumed  by  the  Maquas  wars  and  other  ways,  and  are 
not  above  fifteen  or  sixteen  families."  And  here  we  have  the 
last  recorded  mention  of  them  before  their  final  dispersion  in 
Philip's  war.  Their  ruler  at  this  time  was,  as  we  have  seen, 
of  a  different  temper  from  Sholan,  and  was  probably  addicted 
to  the  prevailing  vice  of  his  people.  Eliot  was  then  in  the 
decline  of  life,  though  still  active  in  the  ministry.  During  the 
summer  of  1674,  in  connection  wdth  his  faithful  coadjutor 
Gookin,  he  visited  several  of  the  Indian  towns  in  the  southerly 
part  of  this  county,  also  the  one  lying  on  the  southerly  bound- 
ary of  the  present  city  of  Worcester.  Wliile  there,  they  wrote 
a' letter  to  the  Nashaway  Sagamore,  Shoshanim,  and  his  people, 
and  sent  it  by  a  Natick  Indian,  whom  they  had  appointed  to 
be  a  teacher  among  the  graceless  children  of  Washacum.  It 
so  happened  that  one  of  the  tribe  was  present  on  the  occasion, 
and  made  a  speech  to  Eliot  and  Gookin  -with  "  much  affection 
9 


G6  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

and  gravity."  He  gav€  rather  a  sad  account  of  the  state  of 
morals  in  his  tribe.  Some  of  the  people  were  well  disposed 
to  receive  the  truth ;  but  there  was  much  sin  there,  and  in- 
temperance fearfully  prevailed.  He  promised  that,  if  his 
friends  would  choose  him  Constable,  and  give  him  encourage- 
ment, he  would  come  to  Gookin  for  the  insignia  of  his  office, 
"  a  black  staff  and  power."  This  would  give  him  authority 
to  apprehend  the  disorderly,  and  bring  them  before  Gookin 
for  punishment. 

Here  I  leave  this  poor,  wasted  people,  before  writing  the 
last  sad  chapter  in  their  history,  and  proceed  to  glance  briefly 
at  the  origin  and  early  progress  of  the  settlement  in  Lancaster. 
Like  that  of  the  eternal  city,  the  foundation  of  our  little  muni- 
cipality was  a  work  of  great  difficulty,  and  attended  with  long 
delays.     But  we  have  no  poet  to  make  graphic  its  struggles. 

It  cannot  be  shown  that  there  were  any  Indians  residing 
within  the  present  limits  of  Lancaster  in  1643,  except  perhaps 
a  few  detached  families,  whose  localities  are  proved  by  stone 
implements,  arrow-heads,  &c.,  found  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Sholan's  subjects  were  principally  seated  around 
him,  near  his  residence  on  the  pleasant  swell  between  the  two 
Washacums.  They  certainly  had  an  eye  for  beauty  of  natural 
scenery,  like  the  Indians  everywhere.  The  residence  of  the 
Sachem  commanded  a  view  of  the  spreading  waters,  covering 
a  space  sufficient  for  a  good-sized  town,  with  mountain 
scenery  to  the  west,  terminating  in  the  graceful  outline  of 
the  Wachusett.  He  was  in  the  vicinity  of  his  supplies,  in 
the  town  of  many  waters  and  abundant  woods.  He  needed 
not  the  exclusive  enjoyment  of  real  estate,  like  a  great  pro- 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  67 

perty-holder.  A  free  range  for  fishing  and  hunting,  with 
the  reservation  of  a  little  land  for  planting,  would  satisfy 
every  want.  He  therefore  rather  coveted  the  neighborhood 
of  the  English,  —  thought  perhaps  they  would  be  a  protec- 
tion against  the  dreaded  Maquas, — saw  not  the  early  destruc- 
tion of  his  race  in  the  ^imness  of  the  future.  Laden  with 
peltry,  he  found  his  way  to  Watertown,  probably  before 
1643.  He  there  met  with  Thomas  King,  with  whom  he 
traded.  He  told  King .  of  the  choice  intei'vales,  so  easy  for 
planting ;  the  woods  and  waters,  abounding  in  supplies ;  — 
that  the  Great  Spirit  had  been  very  bountiful  to  the  place, 
and  that  the  Nashaways  would  rejoice  in  the  presence  of  that 
great  people  who  had  come  from  a  distant  world.  .  King 
may  have  naturally  hesitated  in  venturing  so  far  into  the 
wilderness  j  and  his  good  wife  Mary  may  have  clung  to  him 
very  fondly,  entreating  him  not  to  trust  hinlself  with  the 
Indian  "  salvages,"  who  would  prove  treacherous,  however  in 
appearance  friendly,  and  leave  her  a  widow,  and  their  little 
son  and  daughter,  just  taught  tq  lisp  their  parents'  names,  by 
which  they  were  called,  orphans.  King  was  young,  i-esolute, 
and  confident.  He  put  away  the  fears  of  Mary  as  idle, 
assuring  her  of  his  great  trust  in  Sholan,  and,  above  all,  his 
faith  in  that  divine  Providence  which  had  led  him  on  thus  far. 
He  persuaded  her  that  all  Avould  be  well.  A  weary  day's  work 
is  before  him.  He  makes  his  preparations,  in  which  Mary 
renders  her  gentle  and  affectionate  assistance.  He  rises 
early,  and,  apparelling  himself  in  the  simple  garb  of  hie  con- 
dition and  age,  embraces  his  little  Thomas  and  Mary  and  his 
loving  wife,  mounts  his  horse,  and,  pursuing  his   course  for 


68  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

some  distance  along  the  valley  of  Charles  River,  thence 
through  infant  Sudbury,  fording  or  s-wimming  the  river,  and 
piercing  the  unbroken  forest  as  best  he  may,  reaches  the 
summit  of  the  Wataquodoc.  There  he  stops,  and  gazes  with 
delight  upon  the  long  extended  valley,  beautiful  as  that  of 
E.asselas,  permeated  with  streams ;  with  a  landscape  of  gentle 
undulations,  the  Wachusett  rising  bravely  in  the  distance  as 
its  western  boundary.  Slowly  he  descends,  passes  the  south 
branch  of  the  Nashaway  at  "the  wading-place," "and  proceeds 
onward  to  the  south-easterly  slope  of  George  Hill.  "  This  is 
a  goodly  spot,"  he  exclaims  :  "  I  can  doubt  no  longer.  The 
favored  territory  must  be  purchased ;  and  here,  where  I  stand, 
will  I  erect  a  trading-house  for  commerce  with  Sholan's  tribe." 
He  returns  to  Watertown,  and  casts  about  among  his  neigh- 
bors and  others  for  adventurous  spirits  to  join  with  him  in 
the  piu'chase.  The  same  year  that  the  confederation  of  the 
colonies  was  formed,  that  most  important  measure,  the  assu- 
rance of  strength  and  confidence  against  all  internal  danger, 
—  the  same  year  that  the  Scotch  League  and  Covenant  was 
ratified,  which  led  by  necessity  to  the  overthi-ow  of  the 
Stuarts,  —  witnessed  the  inception,  the  fii'st  germ,  of  this 
then  distant  plantation. 

King  associated  with  himself  John  Prescott,  of  Watertown ; 
Harmon  Garrett,  of  Charlestown ;  Thomas  Skidmore,  of  Cam- 
bridge ,'  Stephen  Day,  of  Cambridge,  the  earliest  printer  in 
any  of  the  colonies  ;  a  Mr.  Symonds,  but  which  of  the  several 
persons  of  that  name  I  cannot  ascertain ;  and  sundiy  others, 
whose  names  have  not  been  transmitted.  Harrington  classes 
these  last  under  the  very  convenient  designation  of  "  &c."  — 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  69 

an  expression  that  may  at  least  lay  claim  to  as  large  an  inter- 
pretation as  the  "  &c."  of  Littleton,  which  Lord  Coke,  in  his 
commentaries,  affirms  to  be  very  pregnant  with  meaning. 
This  little  abbreviation  shuts  out  the  names  of  the  other 
associates  in  utter  night.  The  associates  took  a  deed  from 
Sholan  of  this  part  of  his  domain,  ten  miles  in  .  length  and 
eight  in  breadth.  Unfortunately  this  deed  is  not  on  record, 
and  the  original  cannot  be  found.* 

They  entered  into  an  agreement  to  appear  and  begin  the 
plantation  at  a  certain  time ;  and,  as  an  evidence  of  their 
determination,  sent  up  three  Watertown  husbandmen,  — 
Richard  Linton,  Lawrence  "Waters,  his  son-in-law,  and  John 
Ball,t  to  whom  they  assigned  land,  —  to  make  preparation 
for  "  the  general  appearance  of  the  Company."  These  three 
men,  who,  it  would  seem,  came  here  two  hundred  and  ten 
years  ago,  were  the  first  inhabitants.  Waters  afterwards 
built  a  house  on  the  pleasant  slope  in  front  of  us,  near  the 
entrance   of  the  centre   road.     King  and  Symonds  built  a 


*  Rev.  Mr,  Harrington,  in  his  Century  Sermon,  preached  May  28,  1753,  states 
that  the  purchase  was  made  in  1645.  This  is  a  mistake.  It  was  made,  without 
question,  in  1643. 

With  regard  to  the  area  of  the  town,  the  full  measure  of  eighty  square  miles  seems 
to  have  been  given  by  the  survey,  though  the  original  grant  and  the  survey  differ  in 
the  length  of  the  lines. 

t  The  town  Covenant  contains  the  signatures  of  the  inhabitants  up  to  1660,  but 
Ball's  name  is  not  there;  neither  is  it  in  the  record  of  grants.  lie  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  at  Lancaster  in  1676.  lie  was  at  that  time  of  Lancaster.  He  probably  left 
before  the  incorporation  of  the  town.  It  would  seem  that  he  was  entitled  to  land,  but 
that  it  was  not  laid  out.  John  his  son,  in  1G82,  conveys  to  Thomas  Harris,  of  Boston, 
thirty  acres  of  upland,  twenty  acres  of  intervale,  <tc.  <tc.,  "  butting  and  bounding 
as  these  are,  or  hereafter  shall  be,  recorded  in  the  records  for  the  town  of  Lancaster." 
Middlesex  Registry,  16-100.  This  was  probably  a  first  grant,  and,  up  to  this  time, 
not  laid  out. 


70  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

trading-house  on  the  south-easterly  side  of  George  Hill,  which 
was  the  earliest  building  in  this  .valley.  Neither  King  nor 
Symonds  ever  resided  here,  and  the  former  very  soon  sold  all 
his  interest  to  the  other  associates.  Sholan  further  evidenced 
his  desire  to  be  on  good  terms  with  the  planters,  in  the  spring 
of  1 644,  and  to  give  them  assurance  of  safety,  by  submitting 
himself  and  his  tribe  to  the  government  of  Massachusetts 
Bay. 

The  first  effort  of  the  associates  seems  to  have  been  to 
gather  a  church  before  any  houses  were  erected ;  and  seven 
of  them,  who  were  not  freemen,  and  of  course  not  church- 
members,  invited  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Norcross,  of  Watertown, 
a  graduate  at  Catherine  Hall  College,  in  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  in  1636,  to  be  their  minister.  Norcross,  Eobert 
Child  the  ''  Paduan  Doctor,"  Stephen  Day,  John  Fisher,  and 
others,  whose  names  cannot  now  be  recovered,  appear  to  have 
been  the  first  who  petitioned  for  the  liberty  of  a  plantation 
here,  at  the  sessions  of  the  General  Court  in  May,  1644. 
They  were  advised  first  to  go  and  build,  and  take  members 
of  other  churches,  and  proceed  in  an  orderly  way,  according 
to  the  usual  wont  in  other  towns.  The  business  labored 
through  the  year  1644,  notwithstanding  their  continued, 
efibrts ;  "  and  other  difficulties  intervened  to  prevent  the 
"  Company  intended  to  plant  Nashaway  "  from  reaching  the 
promised  land. 

In  June,  1645,  more  than  two  years  after  King's  mission, 
Norcross,  Prescott,  Day,  Garrett,  and  Skidmore,  together  with 
John  Hill,  —  of  which  name  there  were  divers  persons  in  the 
colony,  —  Isaac  Walker,  and   John  'Cowdall  of  Boston,  and 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  71 

Joseph  Jenkes,  either  the  ingenious  blacksmith  of  Lynn,  or 
his  son  of  the  same  name,  who  now  first  appear  upon  the 
scene,  —  unless  they  are  included  in  Harrington's  "  &c.  "  of 
1643, —  complain  to  the  General  Court  of  the  want  of  a 
bridge  over  Sudbury  River,  and  a  way  over  the  marshes,  so 
that  they  cannot  pass  to  the  plantation  without  exposing 
themselves  and  theii-  property  to  loss  ;  "  as  your  petitioners," 
they  say,  "  are  able  to  make  proof  of  by  sad  experience  of 
what  we  suiFered  there  within  these  few  days.  Many  of  us 
have  been  dependent  on  this  work  above  these  two  years 
past.  Much  time  and  means  have  been  spent  in  discovering 
the  plantation,  and  providing  for  our  settling  there.  Divers 
of  us  have  covenanted  to  sit  down  together,  and  to  improve 
ourselves  there  this  summer,  that  we  may  live  there  the 
winter  next  ensuing,  if  God  permit."  This  petition  was 
favorably  entertained,  and  an  allowance  was  made  towards 
the  work,  provided  "it  be  done  within  a  twelvemonth." 

The  summer  passed  away ;  and  Sudbury  bridge  and  cause- 
way were  not  made.  On  the  first  of  October,  in  answer  to 
their  petition,  the  Court  consented  that  Hill,  before  named. 
Sergeant  John  Davies,  John  Chandler,  Isaac  Walker,  and 
Mathew  Barnes,  or  any  three  of  them,  should  have  power 
to  lay  out  lots  for  all  the  planters.  They  presented  another 
petition,  October  3d,  referring  to  a  petition  of  the  day 
before,  which  is  not  now  to  be  found,  and  designate  Hill, 
Davis,  Chandler,  Walker,  Skidmore,  Barnes,  —  names  already 
mentioned,  —  with  the  addition  of  James  Cutler  and  Samuel 
Bitfield,  "as  suitable  persons.  From  this  list  the  Court 
selected  Hill,  Davis,  Chandler,  Walker,  and  Barnes.     Bit- 


72  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

field  they  first  approved,  but  afterwards  erased  his  name. 
But  the  year  1645  ended  as  it  began:  nothing  was  accom- 
plished. Winthrop  had  no  high  estimate  of  the  persons 
interested  in  this  plantation  at  that  time  :  "  most  of  them  were 
poor  men/'  he  states,  "  and  some  of  them  corrupt  in  judg- 
ment, and  others  profane,  so  that  in  two  years  they  had  not 
three  houses  built,  and  he  whom  they  had  called  to  be  their 
minister  left  them  for  their  delays."  It  is  impossible  to 
separate  these  men,  and  class  them  according  to  their  moral 
affinities,  as  described  by  Winthrop.  They  were  un- 
doubtedly, most  of  them,  humble  men,  not  rich  in  goods, 
not  liable  to  the  charge  of  ''  intolerable  excess  and  bravery." 
Probably,  however,  no  one  of  them  had  an  "estate  exceeding 
two  hundi'ed  pounds,"  which  would  permit  them  by  law  to 
"  wear  gold  or  silver  lace,  or  gold  and  silver  buttons,  or  any 
bone  lace  above  two  shillings  per  yard,  or  to  walk  in  great 
boots ; "  or  their  wives  to  "  wear  silk  hoods  or  scarfs'"  I 
trust,  however,  that  not  many  of  them  were  "profane;  "  and 
as  for  being  "  corrupt  in  judgment,"  interpreted  into  the 
dialect  of  the  present  day,  it  would  probably  mean  no  more 
than  this,  —  that  they  were  not  members  of  any  chui'ch, 
not  freemen,  and  not  of  the  way  of  any  congregation  as  then 
established.  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  Prescott 
was  the  only  one  of  the  petitioners  who  became  an  inhabitant 
of  Lancaster.  It  may  be  that  Norcross  left  them  for  the 
reason  stated,  though  the  fact  of  his  joining  in  the  petition 
for  Sudbury  bridge  and  causeway,  the  want  of  which,  after 
all,  seems  to  have  been  the  great  obstacle,  or  one  of  the  ob- 
stacles, and  one  that  the  petition  shows  they  were  all  laboring 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  73 

harmoniously,  in  a  common  cause,  to  overcome,  seems  to  dis- 
prove it.  Harrington  suggests  that  Norcross  left  either  from 
aversion  to  the  place,  or  by  the  instigation  of  such  of  the  pro- 
prietors as  were  unwilling  to  come  up  themselves,  and  took 
with  him  the  mutual  obligation  of  the  associates,  —  took  it 
with  him  perhaps  to  England,  whither  he  seems  to  have  gone. 
It  certainly  is  no  marvel  that  many  of  these  men  should 
have  become  discouraged,  and  have  been  glad  to  plead  the 
loss  or  disappearance  of  the  written  obligation  as  an  excuse 
for  its  violation.  But  they  were  not  right  in  retaining  their 
interest  in  the  plantation,  while  they  refused  to  comply  with 
the  terms  of  the  contract.  One  only  of  the  associates,  John 
Prescott,  the  stalwart  blacksmith,  was  faithful  among  the 
faithless.  He  turned  not  back,  but  vigorously  pursued  the 
interests  of  the  plantation  till  his  exertions  were  crowned 
with  success.  How  soon  he  became  a  permanent*  resident 
I  cannot  now  state.  I  suppose  that  he  passed  the  winter 
of  1646—47  within  a  short  distance  of  this  spot.  Linton  and 
Waters  were  already  here,  and  had.  tilled  the  soil,  and  were 
prepared  to  receive  Prescott,  who  ventured  up,  though 
Sudbuiy  bridge  and  causeway  were  not.  Perhaps  he  did 
not  then  stand  well  with  the  proprietors,  who  had  violated 
their  engagement.  Certainly  he  did  not  stand  well  with  the 
government,  because  he  favored  a  larger  liberty  than  was 
then  allowed,  and  opeiily  sympathized  with  Cliild,  Fowle, 
Yale,  and  the  others.  The  loss  that  he  met  with  in  liis 
journey  hither,  in  the  fall  or  early  winter  of  1G4G,  and  the 
subsequent  danger  of  his  wife  and  children,  are  related  by 
our  good  Governor  Winthrop,  as  if  he  half  believed  that 

10 


74  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

they  were  a  punishment  for  favoring  the  petitioners.  "  Pres- 
cott,"  says  he,  "  another  favorer  of  the  petitioners,  lost  a  horse 
and  his  lading  in  Sudbury  River ;  and,  a  week  after,  his  wife 
and  childi'en,  being  upon  another  horse,  were  hardly  saved 
from  drowning."  Mark  the  issue ;  one  plunge  by  that  last 
horse,  or  a  little  deeper  water,  and  American  literature  would 
not  now  be  graced  by  the  brilliant  classic  History  of  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella,  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico^  and  of  the 
Conquest  of  Peru. 

The  precise  time  when  the  associates  relinquished  their 
purpose  is  not  easily  determined.  It  probably  took  place 
some  time  before  they  made  their  formal  surrender,  which 
was  not  until  October,  1647.  The  Court,  —  after  reciting 
the  grant  of  a  plantation  made  in  October,  1645,  to  Chandler, 
Walker,  Davies,  Hill,  and  Barnes ;'  the  death  of  Hill ;  and 
the  statement  of  Chandler,  "Walker,  and  Davies,  that  they 
had  taken  no  part  as  "undertakers  since  the  grant,"  with 
their  request  that  it  might  be  "  taken  in,"  "  manifesting  their 
utter  unwillingness  to  be  engaged  therein,  —  adds  that  "  the 
Court  doth  not  think  fit  to  destroy  the  said  plantation,  but 
rather  to  encourage  it ;  only  in  regard  the  persons  now  upon 
it  are  so  few,  and  unmeet  for  such  a  work,  care  to  be  taken 
to  procure  others ;  and  in  the  mean  time  to  remain  in  the 
Coiu-t's  power  to  dispose  of  the  planting  and  ordering  of  it." 
This  was  a  virtual  resumption  of  the  grant.  And  thus,  after 
the  labors,  sacrifices,  and  expenses  of  more  than  four  years, 
the  smoke  curled  up  but  from  a  few  chimneys;  and  the 
culture  of  a  few  fields  was  the  only  indication  of  the  presence 
of  civilization.     Prescott   continuing  true,  this  very  month 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  75 

evidenced  his  determination  to  persevere,  by  his  purchasing 
of  Cowdall,  whom  I  have  before  named,  a  house  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  the  plantation.  This  was  the  site,  or  near 
to  it,  of  the  trading-house  erected  by  King  and  Symonds, 
and  was  the  estate  from  which  the  lots  of  the  proprietors  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  afterwards  took  their  beginning. 
Linton  and  Waters,  and  some  few  others  whom  I  cannot 
name  with  certainty,  also  remained  steadfast. 

Laijds  had  been  laid  out  very  early ;  but  at  what  precise 
time,  or  by  whom,  nowhere  appears.  The  first  associates, 
several  of  whom  had  expended  labor  and  money,  such  as 
Prescott,  Linton,  Waters,  Garrett,  and  Day,  may  have  made 
some  division  among  themselves.  Laurence  Waters,  who 
was  a  carpenter,  had  a  tract  of  seventeen  acres  given  to  him 
by  the  first  undertakers,  bounded  southerly  on  the  north 
branch  of  the  Nashaway  river.  The  railroad  passes  over  this 
land,  and  the  station-house  is  upon  it.  Here  Waters  built  a 
house,  — the  first  dwelling-house,  I  am  inclined  to  believe, 
that  was  erected  in  Lancaster.  Linton  was  not  far  off. 
Whether  Prescott  first  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  neck,  or 
on  the  Cowdall  purchase,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  discover.  The 
probability,  that  they  would  wish  to  be  near  one  another  in 
this  part  of  the  town,  would  tend  to  the  former  conclusion. 

From  this  time  of  the  offer  to  surrender  the  grant,  we 
hear  nothing  further  until  1650,  There  is  some  evidence 
that,  in  the  meanwhile,  other  persons,  not  many,  may  have 
joined  the  adventurers.  I  have  the  names  of  several,  but 
cannot  yet  establish  the  precise  date  of  their  advent.  Some 
Sudbury  men  were  looking  favorably  fti  this  direction ;  but 


76  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

few  were  disposed  to  remove  hither,  while  the  General 
Court  reserved  all  their  power,  either  to  make  an  actual 
grant,  or  remove  those  who  were  akeady  upon  the  land  as 
"  unmeet  for  such  a  work."  In  May  of  this  year,  the  in- 
habitants received  another  rebuke  from  the  ruling  powers. 
Suffering  much,  in  the  same  way  as  new  townships  have 
subsequently  suffered,  by  reason  of  large  tracts  being  owned 
by  non-residents,  they  humbly  ventui'ed  to  ask  leave  to  tax 
these  for  all  common  charges.  The  General  Court  /ather 
contemptuously  answered,  that  the  place  "  is  not  fit  to  make 
a  plantation."  Not  indeed  that  it  had  not  capabilities  in  its 
eighty  square  miles  to  make  a  goodly  town,  but  because  there 
was  no  ministry  maintained  there ;  and  so  the  petitioners 
were  told  very  distinctly,  that,  imless  they  made  it  appear  by 
the  next  Court  that  the  place  was  "  capable  to  answer  the 
end,  they  shall  be  called  there  hence,  and  suffered  to  live 
without  the  means,  as  they  have  done,  no  longer."  The 
resolution  was  well  taken.  These  few  people  were  without 
a  church,  the  nearest  being  in  Concord  or  Sudbury.  Neither 
had  they  a  school.  Thus  they  were  living  in  violation,  open 
violation,  of  the  two  cardinal  principles  of  New  England 
policy,  religion  and  education,  by  which  the  kingdom  of 
"  Sathan  "  was  to  be  driven  out.* 

I  think  that  it  does  not  appear  in  what  way  the  handful  of 
inhabitants  succeeded  in  quieting  the  apprehensions,  and 
warding  off  the  purpose,  of  the  Court.  It  may  have  been 
understood  that  there  would   soon  be  an   accession  to  the 

*  It  is  as  "  unnatural  for  a  right  New-England  man  to  live  without  an  able  minis- 
try, as  for  a  smith  to  work  his* irons  without  a  fire."  —  Wonder-teorking  Providence. 


AT    LANCASTER;   MASSACHUSETTS.  77 

population,  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  public 
authority.  It  is  certain,  not  only  that  they  were  not  ordered 
away,  but  that  they  remained  undisturbed  for  the  two  suc- 
ceeding years.  They  addressed  a  petition  to  the  Legislature 
in  1652,  the  contents  of  which  are  not  known,  but  which  is 
referred  to  in  the  following  year,  as  "  concerning  the  settling 
of  the  place  in  several  particulars."  It  resulted  in  the  orga- 
nization of  the  town  in  1653. 

Meanwhile,  there  had  been  a  small  addition  to  the  number 
of  families,  very  small,  —  only  nine,  all  told.  Thus  ended 
the  struggle -of  ten  years.  A  few  men,  persevering  through 
many  difficulties  •  incident  to  their  situation,  far  beyond  the 
confines  of  English  habitation,  lived  to  witness  the  success  of 
their  wishes,  and  to  prove  to  the  General  Court  that  the 
persons  upon  the  place  were  "  meet  for  such  a  work,"  and 
that  the  place  itself  "  was  fit  to  make  a  plantation." 

On  the  1 8th  of  May,  two  hundred  years  ago,  corresponding 
to  May  28th  of  our  new  calendar,  liberty  of  a  township  was 
granted,  pursuant  to  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
bill  for  a  township  underwent  sundry  changes  before  its  final 
passage  into  an  act  of  incorporation,  as  it  may  not  inaptly  be 
termed ;  but  none  affecting  its  substance.  As  in  the  family, 
so  in  the  plantation,  one  of  the  chief  difficulties  seems  to 
have  been  in  the  baptismal  name.  Sturdy  John  Prescott, 
the  manifest  file-leader  in  the  settlement,  was  evidently  the 
man  at  that  precise  point  of  time  held  in  chief  regard  among 
all  of  the  little  band.  The  people  wished  to  do  him  honor 
by  a  memorial  of  an  enduring  nature.  So  they  petitioned 
the  authorities  that  the  town  be  called  "  Prescott."     A  deaf 


78  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

ear  was  turned  to  the  request :  his  sympathy  with  Dr.  Child 
and  his  companions,  which  was  ever  deemed  heretical,  during 
the  lifetime  of  the  colony,  may  not  have  been  forgotten ;  or 
perhaps  he  was  not  considered  of  sufficient  general  consid- 
eration in  the  community;  or  to  name  a  town  after  any 
individual  may  have  smacked  too  much  of  man-service ;  or, 
what  probably  weighed  conclusively,  he  was  no  freeman; 
and,  though  he  had  been  in  the  colony  twelve  or  thirteen 
years,  and  had  sat  under  the  preaching  of  good  Mr.  Phillips, 
of  Watertown,  who  we  are  told  on  contemporaneous  authority 
"  preached  many  a  good  sermon,"  he  had  taken  the  oath  of 
fidelity  only  the  year  before.  If,  therefore,  he  was  not  com- 
petent to  be  elected  to  any  office  in  the  Commonwealth,  not 
being  a  member  of  the  church,  and  so  no  freeman,  it  would 
not  have  been  deemed  a  good  precedent  to  perpetuate  his 
name  in  the  permanency  of  a  town.  Therefore,  in  disregard 
of  the  wishes  of  the  petitioners,  "  Prescott  "  was  struck  out ; 
and,  as  the  record  runneth,  the  Court,  "taking  the  condition 
of  Nashaway  into  further  consideration,  do  order  that  it  shall 
be  called  henceforth  West  Town."  But,  this  not  being  true, 
as  designating  the  idtima  Thule  of  civiKzation  in  that  quarter 
of  the  compass,  Springfield  already  possessing  that  honor, 
the  name  found  no  favor.  In  fine,  it  was  changed  to  Lan- 
caster, the  name  by  which  this  goodly  domain  should  be 
called  through  coming  ages.  The  reason  of  its  adoption  is 
not  known,  and  all  speculation  upon  the  subject  is  unavail- 
able. Let  it  suffice  that  it  is  of  goodly  sound,  and  of  large 
historical  associations  in  the  old  world. 

The  infant  offspring  thus  having  a  designation,  let  us  sketch 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  79 

cursorily  its  early  history  and  subsequent  struggles.  The 
act  of  incorporation  proceeds  upon  the  expectation  that  other 
families  were  soon  to  join  the  nine  already  at  the  plantation. 
The  Court  ratify  the  Indian  purchase  in  its  full  extent; 
require  all  to  take  the  oath  of  fidelity ;  provide  for  the  minis- 
try, and  for  Harmon  Garrett  and  others  of  the  first  associates 
who  had  been  at  labor  or  charges  for  the  purchase  of  lands, 
"  although  evacuated  of  their  claim."  Six  men  are  desig- 
nated, the  major  part  to  be  freemen,  to  lay  out  lands,  and 
order  the  ^^prudentials "  of  the  place,  "  until  it  is  so  far 
seated  with  able  men  as  the  Court  may  judge  meet  to  give 
them  full  liberties  of  a  township  according  to  law."  These 
six  men  were  Edward  Breck,  from  Dorchester;  Nathaniel 
Hadlock,  from  Charlestown ;  William  Kerley,  from  Sudbury ; 
Thomas  Sawyer ;  and  from  Watertown,  John  Prescott  and 
Ralph  Houghton.  Of  these  six,  the  freemen  were  Breck, 
Hadlock,  Kerley,  and  Sawyer.  Hadlock  died  soon  after,  and 
the  first  division  of  lands  was  made  by  the  survivors  in 
November,  1653,  —  on  the  very  republican  rule  of  equality, 
assuring  to  each  man  a  stake  in  the  community  as  a  freeholder. 
All  subsequent  divisions  were  made  in  proportion  to  each 
man's  property  brought  into  the  town. 

In  the  following  spring,  the  inhabitants  felt  they  were 
quite  competent  to  manage  their  municipal  aflfairs  without 
legislative  intervention ;  and,  making  bold  to  prefer  a  request 
to  that  effect,  the  full  liberty  of  a  township  was  granted 
"  until  further  order."  But  when  they  assumed  the  responsi- 
bility, and  came  to  the  practical  management  of  business,  to 
which  probably  not  one  of  them  had  been  trained  in  tht^ 


80  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

mother-country,  they  found  their  want  of  education-  and  expe- 
rience. After  managing  as  best  they  might  for  three  years, 
and  meanwhile  having  had  "the  award  of  certain  arbitrators 
in  sundry  matters  of  local  difference,  they  ingenuously  confess 
to  the  General  Court  their  unpleasant  situation,  and  their 
inability  to  conduct  their  affairs  "  either  through  town-meet- 
ings, by  reason,"  as  they  say,  "  of  many  inconveniences  and 
incumbrances,"  —  which,  however,  they  do  not  specify,  — 
or  "  by  Selectmen,  by  reason  of  the  scarcity  of  freemen : 
being  but  three  in  number,  we  want  liberty  of  choice." 
They  ask  for  a  Committee  ''  to  put  us,"  as  they  say,  "in  such 
a  way  of  order  as  we  are  capable  of,  or  any  other  way  which 
the  honorable  Court  may  judge  safest  and  best,  both  for  the 
present  and  future  good  of  us  and  our  town,  and  those  that 
are  to  succeed  us ;  "  and  "  to  stand  till  they  be  able  to  make 
return,  that  the  town  is  sufficiently  able  to  order  their  pru- 
dential affairs,  according  as  the  law  requires."  The  Court 
appointed  Willard  of  Concord,  Johnson  of  "Woburn,  and 
Danforth  of  Cambridge,  for  that  purpose,  and  "to  hear  and 
determine  the  several  differences  and  grievances  obstructing 
the  good  of  the  town,  and  interfering  with  its  progress." 

These  gentlemen  accepted  the  appointment,  and  busily 
engaged  themselves  in  their  duties,  —  constituting  a  Board 
of  Selectmen  to  act  under  them,  and  defining  their  functions 
with  regard  to  the  settling  of  a  minister,  erecting  a  meeting- 
house, laying  out  highways  and  the  town-bounds,  imposing 
fines,  assessing  taxes,  keeping  records,  and  other  such  mat- 
ters. They  directed  the  Selectmen  to  reserve  land  for  five  or 
six  able  men  to  come  and  inhabit  among  them,  for  their  help. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  81 

Special  power  was  given  to  them  for  the  recovery  "  of  those 
fines  and  forfeitures  that  are  due  to  the  town  from  such 
persons  as  have  taken  up  land,  and  not  fulfilled  the  condi- 
tions of  theu-  respective  grants,  —  whereby  the  common  good 
of  the  plantation  hath  been,  and  yet  is,  much  obstructed." 

At  the  head  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen,  they  placed  Master 
John  Tinker,  a  man  of  very  good  works,  notwithstanding  his 
name.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wethersfield, 
Connecticut ; .  afterwards  a  resident  in  Boston ',  one  of  the 
grantees  of  Groton,  and  perhaps  for  a  short  time  an  inhabi- 
tant. In  1657,  having  purchased  of  the  government  the 
trade  of  Nashaway  and  Groton,  in  furs,  for  that  year,  he 
removed  to  Lancaster,  perhaps  for  the  convenience  of  being 
nearer  to  the  Indians  with  whom  he  dealt.  He  was  of  good 
education,  and,  rather  an  unusUal  accomplishment  at  that 
day,  a  very  good  penman.  Some  specimens  of  his  skill  still 
remain.  The  Commissioners,  to  their  praise  be  it  spoken, 
and  all  antiquaries  will  join  in  the  expression,  directed  the 
Selectmen  "  to  take  special  care  for  the  preserving  and  safe 
keeping  of  the  town-records ;  "  and  they  were  authorized  to 
"  procure  the  same  to  be  written  out  fairly  in  a  new  book, 
to  be  kept  for  the  good  of  posterity."  The  copy  was  made : 
the  few  sentences  I  have  just  cited  were  a  part  thereof. 
All  else,  original  and  copy,  have  long  since  perished.  I 
think  that  he  was  very  helpful  to  the  town  while  he  remained 
here.  In  1659,  after  a  residence  of  two  years,  he  removed 
to  "  Pequid,"  which,  being  interpreted,  means  New  London 
in  the  Connecticut  Colony.  There  he  was  a  representative 
in  the  General  Assembly,  and  afterwards  one  of  the  Assist- 
11 


82  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

ants.  He  died  in  16G2,  and  is  commemorated  as  "a  gen- 
tleman of  distinction  at  New  London  and  throughout  the 
colony."  While  he  remained  in  Lancaster,  I  can  have  no 
doubt  of  his  being  the  leading  man ;  the  one  upon  whom  the 
Commissioners  placed  chief  reliance  in  carrying  out  their 
purposes.  Goodman  Thomas  Wilder,  who  was  admitted  to 
the  Charlestown  Church  in  1640,  and  was  made  freeman  in 
1641,  came  to  Lancaster  in  July,  1659,  and  succeeded  to  Mr. 
Tinker  in  the  office  of  Selectman. 

The  minister  was  liberally  dealt  with,  considering  how  few 
were  the  people,  and  how  moderate  their  circumstances.  He 
received  the  conveyance  of  a  handsome  landed  estate,  and 
X50  per  annum  for  salary.  But,  with  all  this,  quiet  and 
harmony  did  not  reign  uninterrupted.  Altercations  occurred 
here  as  elsewhere.  In  their  narrow  condition,  they  found 
occasions  of  controversy  and  strife  as  readily  as  in  larger 
communities  in  other  days.  These  appear  from  incidental 
hints  in  the  fragmentary  records  that  survive.  No  attempt 
is  made  to  conceal  the  fact  of  their  existence,  though  we  are 
not  led  to  understand  in  what  they  consisted.  Mr.  Tinker, 
in  addi-essing  the  Commissioners  iu  behalf  of  the .  Selectmen 
for  leave  to  impose  penalties,  that  their  power  might  not  be 
"  a  sword  tool  and  no  edge,"  remarks  that  "  the  town  is  in 
some  silence  at  least,  and  we  hope  in  a  good  preparation  to 
after  peace.  Yet  it  is  hard  to  repel  the  boilings  and  breaking 
forth  of  some  persons,  difficult  to  please;  and  some  petty 
differences  will  arise  amongst  us,  provide  what  we  can  to  the 
contrary." 

In  1665,  the  Commissioners,  at  the  request  of  the  inhabi- 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  83 

tants,  consented  to  grant  them  liberty  among  themselves,  and 
power  to  elect  their  own  Selectmen.  At  the  May  session, 
1673,  twenty  years  after  the  incorporation,  and  thirty  years 
after  the  first  plantation,  the  town  petitioned  that  the  Com- 
missioners might  be  discharged  from  further  duty,  with 
thanks  "for  their  great  pains  and  service  for  so  long  a 
season."  The  Commissioners  consented  to  the  petition ;  and, 
satisfying  the  Court  that  for  many  years  the  people  had  been 
trusted,  and  were  able  to  manage  their  own  affairs,  the  Court 
granted  them  liberty  "  accordingly  as  other  towns ;  "  —  and 
thus  the  long  State  of  pupilage  came  to  an  end. 

The  town-covenant,  which  in  its  body  purports  to  be  in 
1653,  contains  the  names  of  planters  and  proposed  planters, 
who  subscribed  as  late  as  1660.  It  is  drawn  up  with  a  good 
dea,l  of  specialty.  It  provides  for  building  up  the  chm-ch, 
and  for  the  honorable  support  of  the  pastor.  "  Profane  and 
scandalous  persons  "  were  not  to  be  admitted  as  inhabitants ; 
nor  any  "  notoriously  erring  against  the  discipline  and  doctrine 
of  Church  and  Commonwealth."  Thus  Chui'ch  and  State 
were  to  be  guarded ;  and,  to  keep  out  the  gentlemen  of  the 
long  robe  through  all  future  time,  they  covenanted  not  to  go 
to  law  in  civil  matters,  but  to  submit  to  arbitration,  unless,  as 
they  very  prudently  make  reservation,  "  the  matter  be  above 
their  ability  to  judge  of."  Such  a  case  soon  arose.  Henry 
Kerley,  a  somewhat  ambitious,  quick-tempered  individual, 
who  afterwards  rose  to  be  a  captain,  kept  possession  of 
a  valuable  tract  of  land  that  had  been  intended  for  the 
ministry ;  a  part  of  which  had  been  given  to  him,  according 
to  the   record,  "  without  that  due  consideration  that  might 


84  CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS 

have  been."  By  way  of  peace-offeiing,  the  town  made  a 
proposition,  which,  if  he  should  accept,  then  well,  —  other- 
wise "  the  town  to  proceed  as  they  see  cause,  or  as  counsel 
may  advise,  for  recovering  their  own  interest  therein." 
None  dissented  but  "  John  Prescott  and  Laurence  Waters, 
who  voted  negative ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  Henry  Kerley, 
being  present,  would  not  accept  of  it."  Forthwith  prepa- 
rations were  made  for  a  regular  legal  battle.  A  committee 
was  chosen  to  prosecute  the  town's  case  for  the  lands  kept 
back  by  him,  "notwithstanding  such  loving  tenders  as  hath 
been  made  by  the  town."  And  "  they  are  to  use  all  such 
means  as  their  discretion  may  lead  them,  or  as  counsel  may 
advise  them  to."  The  determined  attitude  of  the  town,  how- 
ever, prevented  the  necessity  of  further  proceeding.  Kerley 
yielded,  and  the  matter  was  settled. 

With  all  their  large  territory,  they  were  unwilling,  for 
some  years,  to  admit  more  than  thirty-five  families  to  the 
plantation.  They  may  have  honestly  supposed,  as  they  had 
at  that  day  very  liberal  views  of  landed  possessions,  that  two 
miles  square  would  be  but  a  fair  allowance  for  a  family. 
But,  when  the  surface  of  the  territory  was  laid  open  to  culti- 
vation, and  its  generally  productive  character  became  known, 
they  ordained  that  so  many  might  be  admitted  "  as  may  be 
meetly  accommodated,  provided  they  are  such  as  are  accept- 
able." With  this  change,  the  population,  prosperity,  and 
wealth  of  the  town  began  rapidly  to  increase. 

None  of  the  first  associates  seem  to  have  returned  to  take 
advantage  of  the  privileges  secured  to  them  by  the  act  of 
incorporation.      During   the   eight   or   ten   preceding  year's. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  85 

while  Prescott  remained;  the  others  found  residences  more  to 
their  mind.  Norcross,  I  suppose,  soon  retiu-ned  to  England, 
where  the  increase  and  prosperity  of  the  Independent  Church 
afforded  an  opening  for  many  of  the  clerical  order.  Stephen 
Day,  the  locksmith  and  printer,  to  whom  the  town  gave  some 
land  in  1665,  on  the  westerly  borders  of  the  plantation, 
"  paying  as  other  men  do,"  continued  to  live  in  Cambridge ; 
and  there  he  died.  Skidmore  removed  to  Stratford,  Connec- 
ticut, several  years  before  the  incorporation  of  the  town. 
Symonds,  from  the  circumstance  that  his  baptismal  name 
is  not  given,  and  his  being  thus  involved  in  the  whole 
family  of  that  name,  cannot  be  traced.  Garrett  remained  in 
Boston,  having  previously  been  of  Charlestown.  As  for  Hill, 
Walker,  Cowdall,  and  Jenkes,  if  they  were  of  the  first  band, 
—  the  pioneers,  —  Hill  was  dead,  Walker  continued  to  keep 
a  shop  in  Boston,  Cowdall  was  at  Boston,  and  Jenkes  at 
Saugus. 

I  have  been  more  minute  in  narrating  the  efforts  and  diffi- 
culties from  1643  down  to  this  jjeriod,  because  the  early 
incidents  of  the  plantation,  the  scattered  fragments  that  we 
can  gather  up,  are  rather  remote  from  general  inquiry,  and 
are  well  deserving  of  preservation.  At  any  rate,  I  think,  they 
will  be  found  interesting  to  those  present,  who  claim  lineage 
from  the  valley.  To  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  more  promi- 
nent events  in  the  history  of  the  town  would  carry  me  very 
far  beyond  the  utmost  limits  of  this  occasion,  and  might  not 
possess  any  general  interest. 

The  town,  as  I  have  said,  was  now  beginning  to  enjoy  a 
healthful,  prosperous  condition.     The  number  of  inhabitants 


86  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

was  constantly  increasing  by  birth  and  immigration  until 
the  fatal  year  of  1675-6,  when  there  were  at  least  fifty 
families  in  the  place.  More  than  a  hundred  and  seventy 
births  are  recorded  before  that  year,  and  but  a  few  more 
than  one  quarter  of  that  number  of  deaths.  •  1?here  were 
also  many  new  comers  into  the  place.  Marriages  were  early ; 
the  increase  was  rapid ;  and  I  can  err  but  little  in  my  esti- 
mate of  a  population  exceeding  three  hundred  persons,  and 
less  than  three  hundred  and  fifty.  All  now  dwelt  in  peace ; 
'  with  a  minister  deserving  and  receiving  respect ;  a  united 
people,  some  few  engaged  in  the  mechanic  arts,  but  most  of 
them  farmers,  cultivating  the  soil  for  the  generous  grain,  and 
the  orchard  for  its  fruits,  and  living  in  friendship  with  the 
natives  upon  their  western  borders,  far  away  from  aggression 
and  war,  from  public  discord  and  private  contention.  Let  us 
enter  into  their  humble  habitations,  and  view  in  imagination 
their  manner  of  life.  The  elders,  passing  their  days  in  toil 
through  the  summer,  gathered  together  in  the  evenings  of 
winter  from  their  not  very  distant  habitations  to  talk  over  the 
events  of  their  early  life  in  the  mother-country,  —  the  difficul- 
ties they  encountered  in  their  attempted  embarkation,  some 
with  their  wives  and  children,  others  with  their  affianced  ones ; 
their  adventui-es  on  these  western  shores  before  they  found 
a  pleasant  resting-place  in  this  remote  valley  of  the  Nasha- 
way,  with  its  broad  acres  and  peaceful  waters ;  and  then  the 
blessing  of  Heaven  upon  their  labors,  so  that  they  have  not 
sowed  in  vain,  but  that  an  abundant  harvest  has  just  been 
vouchsafed  to  them ;  —  and  then  discoursing  of  the  future 
of  the   plantation  ;    what  relations,  what  friends  of  former 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  87 

years,  would  yet  rejoin  them  from  their  ancestral  home,  and 
what  others  were  preparing,  when  the  spring  should  open,  to 
leave  the  narrower  acres  of  the  older  settlements,  and  unite 
with  them  in  tilling  this  virgin-soil ;  —  and  then,  reverting  to 
the  affairs  of  the  town,  they  ask  each  other.  Is  each  man  as- 
sessed justly  for  the  public  charges  ?  Is  the  school  properly 
taught  ?  Are  good  Master  Rowlanclson's  homilies  listened  to, 
and  profited  by,  as  they  should  be  ?  Then  they  plunge  into 
deep  argumentations  upon  dogmas  that  have  puzzled  wiser 
heads,  and  defend  their  worthy  minister  against  any  leaning  to- 
wards the  Pelagian  or  Arminian  or  Antinomian  heresy.  Then 
they  touch  upon  their  neighbors,  —  all  are  their  neighbors  ; 
the  remarks  made  by  this  goodman  or  that  goodwife ;  and 
how  the  younger,  not  regarding  their  wilderness-condition,  are 
giving  in  to  the  fashions  of  the  towns  on  the  Bay,  because  an 
occasional  ribbon  or  a  bit  of  tiifany  is  detected  upon  the  dress 
of  the  fair  maiden  of  the  valley,  or  the  young  man  rejoices  in 
some  trinket,  —  a  present  from  that  same  maiden,  or  from  a 
dear  relative  in  the  old  world.  They  touch  upon  family  joys ; 
the  birth  of  a  child,  adding  so  much  to  the  expected  solid 
wealth  of  the  population ;  the  birth  of  twins,  their  goodliest 
heritage.  They  touch  upon  family  griefs,  and  join  in  lament- 
ing that  one  and  another  of  those  who  bore  with  them  the 
long  deprivations  of  forest-life  are  rapidly  passing  away ;  how 
many  of  the  wives  of  their  associates  have  been  called  from 

earth,  —  Joane,  the  wife  of  goodman  John  White  and  mother 

• 

of  Madam  llowlandson ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  goodman  Richard 
Smith ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  goodman  J  ohn  Smith ;  Elizabeth, 
the  wife  of  goodman  Edmund   Parker ;    Ann,  the  wife  of 


88  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

•Toodnian  John  Moore ;  Martha;  the  wife  of  goodman  John 
Rugg,  surviving  one  of  her  twins  but  six  days,  and  dying  on 
the  same  day  with  the  other ;  Ann  and  after  her  Bridgett, 
the  wives  of  goodman  Thomas  Kerley,  sen. ;  —  nay,  that 
death  had  not  spared  the  planters  themselves ;  but  that,  just 
as  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  pkce  were  glad  for  them, 
Richaitl  Linton,  the  old  man  of  the  settlement,  Thomas  James, 
John  Smith,  William  Kerley,  sen.,  together  with  Thomas 
Joslin,  John  White,  John  Whitcomb,  sen.,  and  Thomas 
Wilder,  —  ancestors  of  a  numerous  posterity,  and  all  of 
whom  had  been  of  service  in  the  plantation,  —  had  passed 
to  their  rest;  that  even  the  heart  of  their  good  pastor  had 
been  sorely  tried  by  the  death  of  his  father,  Thomas  Eow- 
landson.  All  these  within  twenty  years  from  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  town.  There,  in  yonder  burial-place,  repose  the 
undistinguished  remains  of  those  who  toiled  and  suffered 
and  enjoyed  here,  undisturbed  even  by  the  thunder  of  the 
steam-engine  as  it  courses  beside  their  humble  resting-place. 
And  then,  as  they  turned  to  more  joyous  themes,  would  come 
up  the  new  engagement,  creating  a  profound  sensation 
throughout  the  little  community,  for  usually  both  parties  be- 
longed to  the  plantation,  and  were  known  to  all;  the  sons 
having  the  good  taste  to  take  to  themselves  wives  from  the 
daughters  of  their  own  people ;  the  daughters,  on  their  part, 
not  objecting  to  the  sons. 

Newspapers,  of  course,  they  had  none :  there  were  none 
in  the  colony.  Once  in  a  few  months,  a  stray  item  would 
reach  them  by  some  one  returning  from  the  Bay,  affording 
subject  for  conversation  for  a  length  of  time  in  proportion  to 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS. 


89 


its  rarity.  And  tliey  would  discourse  of  the  old  Pequot 
war,  of  the  entire  destruction  of  the  tribe  as  a  distinct  people, 
and  the  bravery  of  the  English  troops  ;  and  would  institute  a 
comparison  between  the  matchlock  and  the  arrow :  while  ever 
and  anon,  looking  into  the  futui'e,  some  old  planter  would 
touch  upon  the  probability  of  other  Indian  wars,  and  would 
quiet  all  fears  because  of  the  feeble  condition  of  the  Nashaway 
and  Nipmuck  Indians ;  the  many  converts  to  Christianity ; 
theu"  great  distance  from  any  powerful  tribe ;  and  the  terror 
inspired  by  the  skill,  the  valor,  and  the  increasing  numbers 
of  the  English. 

Thus  in  quiet  they  would  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  their 
way,  fearing  nothing  so  much  as  danger  to  their  sheepfolds 
from  the  prowKng  wild  beasts,  or  the  failure  of  their  crops 
through  the  irregularities  of  the  season.  But  these  scenes  of 
tranquillity^  at  any  assignable  distance  from  the  busy  world, 
were  soon  to  be  interrupted.  "  The  warwhoop  "  was  to 
"  wake  the  sleep  of  the  cradle." 

After  the  terrible  vengeance  executed  upon  the  Pequots, 
the  power  of  the  English  was  so  highly  estimated,  that  the 
Indians  could  have  but  little  heart  to  enter  into  a  contest. 
It  must  have  seemed  to  them  hopeless.  Add  to  this,  that 
the  confederation  of  the  United  Colonies  —  Massachusetts, 
Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven  —  gave  such  an 
assurance  of  strength,  as  to  confirm  the  reluctance  of  the 
tribes  to  engage  in  hostilities.  Peace  was  thus  secured  for 
a  period  of  nearly  forty  years ;  and,  almost  continuously 
during  that  period,  the  power  and  consolidation  of  the 
colonists  were  progressive. 

12 


90  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

The  last  great  struggle  was  Philip's  war.  All  subsequent 
were  mere  skirmishes  of  outposts :  that  was  for  life  or  death, 
success  or  extermination.  Begun  in  Plymouth  Colony,  it 
soon  extended  to  the  Massachusetts.  The  master-spirit  of 
the  Wampanoags  combined,  as  best  he  could,  various  of  the 
tribes  to  make  one  last  vigorous  effort  to  destroy  the  colonists. 
The  tide  of  war,  after  it  entered  our  borders,  swept  on  from 
Mendon  through  Brookfield,  and  reached  Lancaster  on  the 
2 2d  of  August,  1675..  At  this  onslaught,  eight  persons  were 
killed.  The  powerful  Narragansetts  had  not  yet  joined  in 
the  war,  though  at  heart  with  Philip.  They  were  temporiz- 
ing at  this  time.  Their  overthrow,  early  in  the  succeeding 
winter,  was  overwhelming,  —  final.  In  this  attack  upon 
Lancaster,  we  see  the  hand  of  the  Nipmuck  Indians,  from 
their  scattered  villages ;  and  the  question  arises,  whether 
the  Nashaway  tribe  then  joined  the  great  leader.  I  am  not 
aware  that  any  contemporaneous  authority  asserts  it ;  but  we 
may  well  presume,  feeble  as  they  were,  —  knowing,  too,  that 
the  English  were  not  in  sujSicient  force  to  protect  them,  and 
having  now  a  Sachem  represented  as  hostile  to  the  planters, 
—  their  native  sympathies,  as  well  as  their  notions  of  safety, 
would  lead  them  to  desert  the  banks  of  the  Washacum,  and 
arrange  themselves  by  the  side  of  their  countrymen.  Ill 
advised  indeed.  The  event  proved  this  ;  but  who  can  blame 
them  for  preferring  their  own  people,  and  all  the  free  pur- 
suits of  savage  life,  to  a  close  intercourse  with  strangers  ? 

We  may  imagine  in  part,  surely  we  cannot  to  its  full 
extent,  the  great  dread  that  seized  upon  the  little  settlements 
on  the  frontier.     They  were  at  a  distance  from  any  place  of 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  91 

retreat,  and  in  constant  fear,  by  night  and  by  day.  Their 
own  defences,  which  might  have  answered  against  an  open 
enemy  of  the  same  description  whose  approach  was  heralded, 
were  insufficient  to  guard  against  sui'prise  from  a  lurking 
foe,  with  noiseless  tread,  and  the  first  intimation  of  whose 
presence  was  the  death-shot  and  the  war  whoop.  The  garri 
sons,  so  called,  were  no  sure  protection  of  the  inhabitants  in 
their  daily  pursuits  and  the  ingathering  of  their  harvest. 
And  thus  the  gloomy  autumn  of  the  year,  with  the  fall  of  the 
leaf,  became  typical  of  their  own  fall  and  ruin.  Throughout 
this  period,  and  until  late  in  the  winter,  they  lived  in  an 
apprehension  scarcely  less  terrible  than  the  reality.  The 
fall  of  1675  passed,  and  still  they  were  not  again  molested. 
The  commander  of  the  Middlesex  regiment  was  active  and 
constant,  to  the  full  measure  of  his  military  resources ;  setting 
in  order  the  garrisons,  and  ranging  through  the  forests  along 
the  line  of  the  frontier  with  troops  of  horse.  This  was  the 
only  force,  during  the  deep  snows  of  a  New-England  winter, 
that  could  be  of  any  service.  A  few  weeks  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Narragansett  fort,  the  remnants  of  the  tribe  fled 
in  detached  parties,  and  were  pursued  by  the  English  soldiers, 
through  the  dense  woods,  toward  Marlborough  and  Lancaster, 
but  without  much  success.  The  soldiers,  having  had  a 
wearisome  campaign  in  the  Narragansett  country,  in  a  bitter 
season  of  the  year,  were  ordered  home  for  the  purpose  of 
recruiting  themselves ;  it  being  generally  supposed  that  the 
enemy  were  too  much  weakened  and  dispirited  to  venture  an 
assault  upon  the  border  towns.  Mounted  troops  also  were 
out  in  various  directions.     One  company  pursued  the  enemy 


92  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

in  their  retreat  into  the  Nipmuck  countiy,  but  without  any 
greater  success ;  for,  on  being  pressed  by  the  horsemen,  they 
would  scatter  in  diiFerent  directions,  and  find  security  in  the 
swamps.  Early  in  February,  these  troops  were  compelled  to 
return  from  their  distant  excursions  by  want  of  provisions. 
The  Narragansetts,  Nipmucks,  and  others  joined  their  forces ; 
and  this  whole  frontier  lay  exposed  to  their  tender  mercies. 
But  the  frontier  was  too  extensive  to  be  guarded  at  all  points, 
even  by  the  whole  force  of  the  colony.  The  enemy  knew 
this  full  well,  and  therefore  established  themselves,  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  in  the  hill-country  in  the  westerly  part  of 
this  county,  whence  they  could  send  out  their  war-paities  in 
different  directions,  without  fear  of  surprise.  The  Nashaways 
were  then  with  them,  ready  to  guide  the  hostile  force,  and  do 
battle  against  their  old  friends  in  the  valley.  The  Sagamore 
of  the  tribe,  —  ill-omened  Shoshanim,  —  is  reported  to  have 
said  in  melancholy  pride,  probably  soon  after  the  destruction 
of  Lancaster  and  Groton,  when  elated  with  success,  that,  "  if 
the  English  would  beg  peace  of  him,  he  would  let  them  have 
peace ;  but  that  he  would  never  ask  it  of  them." 

On  the  10th  of  February,  answering  to  the  present  20th, 
1676,  they  surprised  this  town.  The  inhabitants,  as  they 
were  best  able,  entrenched  themselves  in  the  garrisoned 
houses.  Most  of  the  other  buildings  fell  a  prey  to  the  flames, 
which  soon  arose  in  one  general  holocaust  from  every  part 
of  the  town.  More  than  forty  persons,  —  an  eighth  part  of 
the  whole  population,  —  were  either  killed  on  the  spot,  or 
carried  into  captivity.  "Within  sight  of  this  place,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  little  stream  that  courses  peacefully  through 


AT    LANCASTEK,    MASSACHUSETTS.  93 

the  valley,  was  the  dwelling-house  of  the  village-pastor.  It 
had  been  fortified  with  such  humble  means  as  were  afibrded 
in  the  small  plantation.  There  were  heard  the  yell  and  war- 
whoop  of  the  savage,  the  shrieks  of  women,  the  groans  of  the 
wounded  and  dying ;  weeping  and  lamentation  from  many  a 
Rachel.  The  column  of  smoke  ascends,  and  soon  the  flames 
burst  forth  through  every  crevice,  and  the  little  manse  is  a 
blackened  ruin.  The  few  brave  men  of  this  garrisoned 
dwelling,  with  the  helpless  women  and  children,  forced  out 
by  the  flames,  became  prisoners  in  a  hopeless  captivity.  No 
monument,  either  marble  or  granite,  marks  the  spot  of  the 
deadliest  onset  the  town  ever  experienced.  It  is  still  iden- 
tified in  yonder  enclosed  field,  though  every  vestige  has 
disappeared  from  the  surface.  In  one  generation  more,  what 
is  now  unwritten  history  will  become  indistinct  tradition,  and 
all  memory  of  that  local  habitation  will  have  perished  with 
the  dead  ages  of  the  past. 

The  tale  of  Lancaster's  great  grief  has  often  been  told. 
It  is  familiar  to  many  who  hear  me.  It  still  lives  in  vivid 
tradition  in  the  midst  of  this  people,  the  descendants  of  the 
early  planters.  To  describe  the  various  incidents  of  this 
attack,  —  the  history  of  the  war  as  connected  with  this  town, 
full  of  interest  in  all  its  particulars,  —  would  consume  too 
much  time  in  this  day's  proceedings.  I  will  only  add,  that 
the  house  of  good  Master  Rowlandson  was  the  only  fortified 
building  that  was  destroyed.  The  other  garrisons  were 
saved,  in  the  first  instance,  by  the  Indians  scattering  them- 
selves on  this  and  the  other  side  of  the  river  for  the  purpose 
of  plunder,  of  which  they  took  great  store ;  and,  before  they 


94  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

rallied  to  assault  those  garrisons,  the  brave  Captain  Wads- 
worth,  who  fell  at  Sudbury  in  April  following,  made  a  forced 
march  from  Marlborough  with  his  company,  and  arrived  just 
in  season  to  save  the  remaining  inhabitants  from  a  Kngering 
captivity  or  a  dreadful  death.  Some  few  houses  were  left 
standing ;  and  the  trembHng  remnants  of  the  people  secured 
themselves  in  two  garrisons,  with  a  small  detachment  of 
soldiers  wliich  the  Governor  and  Council  had  ordered  for 
their  protection.  And  there  they  remained  ■  for  a  month. 
The  Indians  were  on  every  side,  so  that  they  could  have 
hardly  escaped,  had  they  made  the  attempt.  Groton  fell  at 
this  time,  and  calamities  were  rife  in  other  quarters.  Well 
might  they  exclaim,  in  the  words  of  the  brave  Jewish  leader, 
"  Behold,  the  battle  is  before  us  and  behind  us,  and  the  water 
of  Jordan  on  this  side  and  that  side,  the  marsh  likewise  and 
wood,  neither  is  there  place  for  us  to  turn  aside."  Thus 
distressed,  they  sent  a  most  imploring  petition  to  the  Governor 
and  Council,  that  a  guard  of  men  with  carts  might  be  ordered 
to  Lancaster,  to  remove  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  In  immi- 
nent danger  by  day  and  by  night,  they  could  hardly  venture 
over  the  threshold  of  their  garrisons.  All  abroad  was  the 
silence  of  death.  .  They  looked  out  only  upon  the  gloomy 
ruins  of  their  habitations.  With  touching  simplicity,  they 
say  in  their  petition,  "  Om-  state  is  very  deplorable  in  our 
incapacity  to  subsist :  as  to  remove  away  we  cannot,  the 
enemy  has  so  encompassed  us ,'  otherwise  for  want  of  help 
and  cattle,  being  most  of  them  carried  away  by  the  barbarous 
heathen ;  and  to  stay  disenabled  for  want  of  food.  The 
town's  people  are  generally  gone,  who  felt  the  judgment  but 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  95 

light,  and  had  their  cattle  left  them  with  their  estates.  But 
we,  many  of  us  here  in  this  prison,  have  not  bread  to  last  us 
one  month,  and  our  other  provisions  spent  and  gone  for  the 
generality.  "We  are  sorrowful  to  leave  this  place.  Our 
women's  cries  does  daily  increase  beyond  expression ;  wliich 
does  not  only  fill  our  ears  but  oui-  hearts  full  of  grief."  It 
is  pleasant  to  notice  that  most  of  those  brave  spirits  who  still 
lingered  in  these  places  were  of  the  earhest  settlers  and  their 
children.  They  had  become  identified  with  this  spot ;  here 
had  long  been  their  home ;  here  they  wished  to  live ;  here 
they  wished  to  die  in  their  nest,  and  be  bmied  amid  their 
kindred.  Yes,  truly  did  they  say,  "  We  are  sorrowful  to  leave 
this  place." 

Tliis  petition  was  signed  by  those  of  the  inhabitants  who 
were  in  garrison  near  the  entrance  of  the  present  "  centre 
road ; "  perhaps  the  precise  spot,  certainly  very  near  to  it, 
where  Laurence  Waters  erected  his  first  house.  These  men 
were  —  Jacob  Farrar ;  John  Houghton,  senior,  and  John 
Houghton,  junior ;  John  Moore ;  John,  Job,  and  Jonathan 
Whitcomb  ;  and  Cyprian  Stevens.  Those  in  the  only  remain- 
ing garrison  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  join  in  the  petition, 
and  add :  "  We  are  in  like  distress,  and  so  humbly  desire  your 
like  pity  and  fatherly  care,  having  widows  and  many  fatherless 
children."  John  Prescott,  senior  ]  Thomas  Sawyer,  senior,  and 
Thomas  Sawyer,  junior ;  Jonathan  Prescott ;  Thomas,  John, 
and  Nathaniel  Wilder ;  John  Rigby ;  John  Roper ;  and 
widows  Wheeler,  Fairbanks,  and  Roper. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  petition  was  delivered,  a  sufficient 
force  was  despatched  to  remove  these  people   to  places  of 


<)6  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

safety ;  and  all  were  rescued,  save  John  Roper,  who,  on  the 
very  day  of  the  removal,  was  slain  by  the  enemy  in  ambush. 
No  sooner  had  they  left  the  valley,  and  proceeded  on  their 
way,  journeying  towards  the  sea,  than  all  the  remaining  build- 
ings in  the  plantation,  two  only  excepted,  were  fired  and 
consumed.  Not  a  white  man  was  left  on  the  territory  of 
Massachusetts  west  of  Concord  and  Marlborough,  and  east 
of  the  feeble  towns  upon  Connecticut  Biver.  And  thus  it 
was  after  ten  years  of  laborious  exertion,  first  finding  favor 
to  begin  a  plantation,  and  to  possess  some  corporate  franchises, 
and  then  slowly  working  its  way  to  a  condition  of  comparative 
prosperity,  through  a  period  of  less  than  twenty-three  years, 
—  days  of  tranquillity  and  promise,  —  the  whole  settlement 
was  destroyed  at  a  single  blow,  and  the  territory  around 
became  a  desert.  More  had  been  lost  to  the  plantation  in 
one  day  by  death  and  captivity  than  through  all  its  former 
years.  Peace  came  at  last ;  but  it  brought  no  signs  of  human 
life  in  any  part  of  the  valley.  The  wild  beasts  of  the  forest 
again  roamed  at  large  through  the  fields  and  gardens  lately 
smiling  with  cultivation.  They  alone  remained  in  security. 
Man  did  not  adventure  here  again  for  several  years. 

But,  sad  as  was  the  fate  of  our  people,  that  of  the  Nashaway 
tribe  was  equally  so.  The  remnant  of  the  white  men  could 
return,  and  others  could  come  and  rebuild  the  waste  places ; 
but  not  so  with  the  poor  natives.  Once  swept  from  their 
homes,  there  was  no  return  to  them,  in  these  pleasant  places, 

"Of 
Day,"  or  the  sweet  approach  of  even  or  mom, 

Or  sight  of  vernal  bloom ; 

But  clouds  instead,  and  ever-during  dark." 


AT    LANCASTEE,    MASSACHUSETTS.  9t 

It  is  very  easy  now  to  do  them  justice,  however  hard  it 
was  during  the  war,  and  for  many  years  after.  I  have  sug- 
gested several  reasons  why  the  Nashaways  joined  Philip  j 
but,  after  all,  there  may  have  been  another  and  more  cogent 
reason.  They  were  suspected ;  all  the  Indians  living  near  to 
the  English  Avere  suspected ;  even  the  seven  towns  of  Chris- 
tian Indians  were  suspected;  and  Gookin  tells  us,  in  his 
touching  narrative,  how  unjustly  and  with  what  bitterness 
they  were  treated.  If  the  Christian  Indians  experienced  such 
hard  measure,  what  could  the  feeble  tribe  of  the  Nashaways 
expect,  who  had  not  the  same  protection  ?  Were  we  able  to 
gather  contemporaneous  facts,  which  we  are  not,  I  think  we 
should  find,  that  however  much  they  were  inclined  to  peace, 
and  to  kindly  relations  with  the  English,  they  were  constantly 
subjected  to  persecution ;  and,  if  not  early  driven  to  war  by 
the  necessity  of  their  position,  must  assuredly  have  retreated 
from  their  old  neighborhood,  when  they  found  that  the  Chris- 
tian converts,  to  the  number  of  five  hundred  or  more,  were 
torn  from  their  homes,  under  circumstances  of  aggravated 
cruelty,  and  confined  on  Deer  Island  in  a  state  of  suffering 
wliich  their  liistorian  has  so  feelingly  described. 

Sadly,  but  of  necessity,  as  I  would  fain  believe,  the  Nasha- 
ways  joined  their  countrymen,  and  fell  with  them.  After  the 
peace,  their  last  Sachem,  Shoshanim,  taken  in  the  woods 
beyond  the  Merrimack,  was  carried  to  Boston,  and  there  was 
tried  and  executed.  The  feeble  remnants  of  the  tribe  dis- 
persed to  different  places.  Some  of  them,  with  the  Nipmucks, 
and  other  Indians,  amounting  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  fight- 
ing men,  besides  women  and  cliihbcn,  fieoing  in  terror  to  the 
13 


98  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

westward,  were  overtaken  between  Westfield  and  the  Hudson 
river  by  the  English  troops.  Many  of  their  number  were 
either  slain  or  taken  captive.  About  two  hundred  escaped, 
crossed  the  river  below  Albany,  and  were  received  by  a 
tribe  of  Indians  in  that  vicinity,  with  whom  eventually  they 
became  incorporated.  A  large  part  of  the  tribe,  however, 
together  with  other  Indians  from  the  neighborhood  of  Lan- 
caster, escaped  to  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Piscataqua. 
Mingling  with  some  of  the  Eastern  Indians  at  Dover,  they 
were  surprised  by  a  detachment  of  the  Massachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire  troops.  Those  of  the  prisoners  who  had 
been  involved  in  the  war  were  separated  from  their  compa- 
nions, and  were  marched  to  Boston.  The  Sachem  Shoshanim, 
and  several  other  leaders  who  were  executed,  avoided  the 
dreadful  fate  which  befell  their  followers,  of  being  sold  abroad 
to  taste  the  bitterness  of  perpetual  slavery,  or,  as  was  remarked 
with  cold  cruelty,  "  to  try  the  difference  between  the  friend- 
ship of  their  neighbors  here  and  their  service  with  other 
masters."  Harrington  makes  no  mention  of  this  circumstance  ; 
and  we  could  wish,  for  the  honor  of  human  nature  and  of  our 
people,  that  it  were  not  true.  It  was  true.  Perhaps  some 
of  those  very  men,  who  in  the  lifetime  of  Sholan  had  joined 
the  good  chief  in  welcoming  the  English,  were  delivered 
into  the  house  of  bondage.  Those  who  escaped  capture  took 
refuge  among  the  Pennecooks,  and  thenceforth  disappear 
from  view. 

Thus  ends  the  last  sad  chapter  of  the  brief  and  imperfect 
history  of  this  tribe.  It  is  matter  of  regret  that  the  worthy 
Harrington,  who  delivered  the  historical  sermon  at  the  end 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  99 

of  Lancaster's  first  century,  and  whose  venerable  form  some 
few  now  present  can  recall,  estimated  so  lightly  the  wants  of 
posterity,  as  to  despatch  the  whole  history  of  the  tribe  in  a 
few  lines,  and  that  of  the  town  in  a  few  pages.  When  he 
stood  up  in  the  presence  of  yoiu'  forefathers,  one  hundred 
years  ago,  individuals,  his  parishioners,  I  think,  were  living, 
of  sufficient  age  to  remember  the  horrors  of  1676  ;  and  there 
were  many  then  Hving  who  must  have  had  goodly  stores 
of  narrative  from  their  parents  and  other  old  people.  Very 
pleasant  would  it  have  been,  very  gratifying  to  this  audience, 
exceedingly  so  to  those  who  claim  kindred  in  blood  with  the 
early  inhabitants,  to  know  something  more  of  the  history  of 
Sholan's  tribe,  the  Nashaway  Indians ;  their  numbers,  tradi- 
tions, habits,  localities,  the  succession  of  their  chiefs,  anecdotes 
of  their  intercourse  with  the  planters,  the  reasons  for  their 
joining  against  their  old  friends  the  English,  how  many 
survived,  and  whether  any  of  the  poor  creatures,  who  fled 
from  hot  pursuit  to  the  east  or  to  the  west,  ever  ventured  back 
in  time  of  peace  to  visit  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  —  with 
all  such  particulars  as,  gathered  up  with  a  little  dihgence, 
might  have  been  woven  by  a  competent  hand  into  an  interest- 
ing and  instructive  story. 

Several  years  elapsed  before  the  inhabitants  had  the  heart 
to  return  to  their  old  homes.  They  came  to  a  spot 
whose  gloomy  desolation  reminded  them  vividly  of  the  great 
mournful  event  of  their  lives,  —  of  the  murder  of  relative, 
friend,  neighbor.  The  same  sun  shone  vipon  them,  the 
forests  put  forth  their  tender  leaves,  and  the  orchards  blos- 
somed, as  aforetime ;  but  little  remained  to  give  token  of 


100  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

a  -former  residence  of  rural  peace  and  Christian  civilization, 
save  the  house  of  worshij),  an  humble  building  on  yonder 
hill-side,  left  unharmed  amid  the  general  destruction.  By 
the  year  1682,  there  were  some  seventeen  or  eighteen  families 
in  the  town;  a  number  not  greater  than  was  here  in  1654. 
These  were  chiefly  the  old  settlers,  turning  back  again  with 
willing  steps ;  with  several  others  whom  we  now  for  the  first 
time  recognize.  The  town  began  gradually  to  exhibit  signs 
of  returning  prosperity.  Attacks  were  indeed  made  in  subse- 
quent Indian  wars  that  would  admit  of  a  detailed  narrative, 
but  they  did  not  prevent  the  steady  growth  of  the  place. 
No  life  was  lost  after  1710. 

In  1701  a  very  large  addition  to  the  territory  on  the  west 
was  obtained  by  a  conveyance  from  George  Tahanto,  nephew 
of  Sholan.  From  this  territory,  Leominster  was  subsequently 
taken,  together  with  the  larger  part  of  Sterling.  The  title 
to  this  land  was  confirmed  by  the  General  Court  in  1713, 
and  the  current  of  population  in  a  few  years  began  to  set 
towards  it.  Lancaster  was  now  regarded  as  an  old  town ; 
the  general  mother,  whose  children,  declaring  their  ability 
to  take  care  of  themselves,  were  rising  up  on  either  side,  and 
demanding  their  portion  of  the  inheritance.  First  in  order 
came  Harvard,  whose  beautiful  swell  of  land,  called  Still 
River,  looking  down  upon  this  valley  from  the  north-east, 
had  been  under  cultivation  before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Bolton  soon  followed,  retaining  within  its  Hmits 
the  range  of  hills  that  skirts  Lancaster  on  the  south-east, 
together  with  the  Wataquodoc,  a  name  so  familiar  in  oui- 
local  history.     After  Bolton  came  Leominster,  carved  out  of 


AT    LANCASTER;    MASSACHUSETTS.  101 

the  new  purchase.  These  three  towns  have  each  its  separate 
history  of  the  old  French  war  and  the  war  of  the  Eevolution. 
Their  ecclesiastical  history,  in  the  great  controversy  of  opin- 
ion, is  shared  with  Lancaster,  Sterling,  that  had  essayed  in 
1733,  without  success,  to  be  an  independent  town,  and  became 
the  west  precinct  in  1741,  remained  a  part  of  Lancaster  until 
1781.  Her  history  is  for  a  longer  time  and  more  intimately 
identified  with  the  parent-town,  running  all  thi'ough  the 
exacting  period  of  the  French  war,  and  the  exhausting  efforts 
and  sacrifices  of  the  Revolution.  The  southerly  part  of 
original  Lancaster,  and  the  northerly  part  of  Shrewsbury,  now 
constitute  the  town  of  Boylston ;  while  Clinton,  with  Boylston 
on  her  southern  border,  and  much  the  smallest  in  superficial 
extent,  but  growing  with  a  rapidity  unknown  to  the  other 
portions  of  the  old  territory,  now  rejoices  in  a  separate  organi- 
zation. 

It  would  be  interesting,  if  practicable,  to  trace  the  progress 
of  population  thi'ough  successive  stages  in  the  town's  history ; 
but  for  a  portion  of  the  time,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  resettle- 
ment until  1764,  a  period  of  more  than  eighty  years,  the  data 
are  not  sufficient  to  enable  mc  to  make  an  accurate  estimate. 
An  ancient  authority,  I  know  not  how  much  to  be  rehed  on, 
states  that  there  were  seventy-nine  ratable  polls  here  in  MiU'ch, 
1708.  Taking  the  usual  proportion  assumed,  of  one  ratable 
poll  to  every  four  or  four  and  a  half  inhabitants,  we  should 
have  in  this  year  a  population  of  three  hundred  and  sixteen 
or  three  hundred  and  fifty-five,  or  about  the  same  number  as 
at  the  opening  of  Philip's  war.  I  think,  however,  that  it  was 
larger.      It  should  be   remembered   that   many   of  the   old 


102  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

planters,  with  their  children  and  grandchildren,  returned 
about  the  year  1682,  followed  by  divers  new  families.  The 
list  of  the  subscribers  to  the  minister's  house,  in  1688,  con- 
tains eighty  names,  chiefly  of  inhabitants,  and  most  of  these 
were  heads  of  families.  By  March,  1687,  there  had  been 
thirty  births.  In  the  settlement  of  garrisons  in  1692,  fifty- 
four  men  are  named  as  detailed  to  particular  garrisons,  with 
their  families.  These  facts  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
people  were  as  numerous  in  1692  as  in  1675.  We  then 
have  sixteen  years  of  growth  before  reaching  1708;  constant 
growth,  I  beheve,  without  any  real  drawback  from  inter- 
vening Indian  hostilities.  In  1764  the  territory  originally 
granted  to  Lancaster,  together  with  the  Tahanto  purchase, 
contained  703  houses,  763  families,  and  4,884  inhabitants, 
including  46  negroes  and  mulattoes,  and  one  Indian ;  giving 
6.95  to  a  house,  and  6.40  to  a  family.  In  1790  there  were 
6,352  inhabitants ;  8,492,  in  1840  ;  and  12,615,  in  1850.  In 
1764  Lancaster  alone  contained  301  houses,  328  families,  and 
1,999  inhabitants ;  while  in  1790  the  same  territory  contained 
2,880  inhabitants ;  and  Lancaster,  as  then  diminished,  1,460. 
The  largest  population  of  Lancaster  was  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  before  the  west  precinct  was  made  a 
separate  town.  It  then  numbered,  according  to  the  best 
estimate  I  can  make,  about  3,000  persons.  In  1776  the  rata- 
ble polls  were  672.  The  war  occasioned  a  diminution  of  the 
number  of  inhabitants ;  the  population  was  larger,  by  more 
than  one  hundred,  in  1775  than  in  1781.  In  1840  it  was 
2,019  ;  and  in  1850,  owing  to  the  erection  of  Chnton  into  an 
independent  town,  it  was  reduced  to  1,688. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  103 

The' number  of  slaves  in  1754  was  five.  The  census  of 
1764  does  not  distinguish  between  free  blacks  and  slaves. 
It  classes  them  together,  and  they  number  twenty-six. 
Several  of  them  served  faithfully  and  honorably  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  for  considerable  periods  ;  among  them,  no  less 
a  personage  than  "  Julius  Caesar  "  was  in  the  three  years' 
service.  In  1754  there  were  three  slaves  in  Bolton,  two  in 
Leominster,  and  none  in  Harvard.  Lancaster,  Harvard, 
Bolton,  Leominster,  Sterling,  Boylston,  and  Clinton,  —  divi- 
ded, but  still  united  J  with  common  interests,  pursuits,  and 
hopes ;  mother  and  daughters,  all  in  good  accord  and  har- 
monious intercourse,  —  may  they  feel  no  rivalship  but  for 
the  promotion  of  good  institutions,  the  industrial  arts,  social 
virtues,  liberal  culture,  and  enlightened  religious  faith. 

The  town,  shorn  of  its  territorial  glory,  at  one  time  almost 
sufficient  for  a  German  duchy,  has  reached  a  point,  I  trust, 
where  no  further  reduction  will  be  demanded  by  any  com- 
bination of  interests,  real  or  imaginary.  Well  might  the 
inhabitants  say,  on  any  new  application,  as  their  fathers  did 
in  1741,  when  the  people  on  the  west  were  striving  for 
separation,  and  say  it  too  with  greater  reason,  that  granting 
the  request  will  make  the  town  "  very  irregular  "  in  territory, 
"  and  be  the  means  of  those  living  in  the  extreme  parts  of 
the  town  applying  also  to  be  set  off;  whereby  the  descendants 
of  the  ancient  inhabitants  that  remain  in  the  town,  who  un- 
derwent the  heat  and  burthen  of  a  tedious  and  bloody  Indian 
war,  will  be  left  naked,  and  wholly  destitute  of  that  strength, 
assistance,  and  ability  to  support  the  gospel  ministry  as  they 
should,  and  to  defray  other  town-charges.     There  are   iour 


104  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

large  bridges  that  must  be  kept  in  good  repair,  besides  other 
weighty  charges  the  town  has  been  wading  through  for  many 
years."  It  is  not  well  to  destroy  the  character  and  associa- 
tions of  an  old  town.  They  are  valuable  historically ;  they 
are  valuable  as  a  matter  of  sentiment,  and  for  the  large  and 
intense  sympathies  that  have  been  gathering  and  clustering 
around  them  for  centuries,  increasing  with  the  successive 
generations  issuing  from  the  primal  heritage.  This  results 
from  the  same  law  that  rules  the  individual  in  his  genealogical 
tastes.  In  the  one  case,  he  would  identify  himself  in  blood 
with  an  ancestral  line ;  in  the  other,  with  a  locality  hallowed 
by  the  reminiscences  of  the  ages  in  which  that  ancestry 
lived  and  acted.  For  no  light  matter  should  a  good  old  town 
be  divided  and  subdivided,  till  its  identity  is  marred  or  lost. 
The  reasons  should  be  cogent,  unyielding,  paramount. 

Notwithstanding  the  general  prosperity  that  prevailed  after 
Queen  Anne's  war,  alarms  from  the  Indian  enemy  were  not 
at  an  end.  The  troubles  in  Europe  always  vibrated  across 
the  Atlantic  through  the  colonies,  and  continued  on  this  side 
of  the  water  after  the  war  had  subsided  abroad.  Lancaster, 
however,  had  but  little  to  fear  for  herself.  Settlements 
were  rapidly  extending  beyond  her  frontier,  and  insured  her 
safety.  But  the  border-towns  were  in  constant  apprehension  ; 
and  Lancaster,  so  long  trained  to  hostile  encounter,  must 
furnish  from  her  abundance  for  their  protection.  During 
the  years  1723,  1724,  1725,  the  larger  part  of  the  military 
force  of  the  town  was  engaged  in  scouting  parties  in  search 
of  the  enemy,  through  the  forests  and  over  the  mountains. 
One  expedition  proceeded  beyond  the  Monadnock  and  the 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  105 

head-waters  of  the  Merrimack,  to  the  north  of  Lake  Winni- 
pisseogee,  stretching  to  the  base  of  the  White  Mountains,  and 
returning  by  the  valley  of  the  Saco  to  the  ocean.  Again,  in. 
1748,  after  the  Austrian  war  of  succession  "was  at  an  end, 
and  also  in  1749^  the  same  system  was  renewed.  More 
distant  scouting  parties  were  required,  and  a  great  amount  of 
military  service  was  performed.  Though  but  few  men  were 
lost  in  these  various  expeditions,  they  were  no  holiday  ex- 
cursions. They  were  attended  with  hazard  j  the  labor  was 
hard  and  exacting,  and  renewed,  in  a  modified  form,  the  toil 
and  exposure  of  the  early  settlers. 

There  were  other  calls  to  arms  besides  those  I  have 
mentioned.  Lancaster  furnished  her  quota  of  men  in  the 
unfortunate  campaign  in  the  Spanish  war  of  1739—40;  at 
the  siege  of  Louisbourg  in  1745,  when  one  of  her  sons 
commanded  a  regiment;  at  Nova  Scotia  in  1755,  in  which 
expedition  she  furnished  a  captain  and  a  large  company  of 
soldiers ;  as  she  also  did  commanders  of  regiments  and  other 
officers  throughout  the  French  war ;  with  a  host  of  hardy  men 
borne  upon  the  rolls  through  the  bloody  scenes  at  Lake 
George,  Ticonderoga,  and  Crown  Point,  in  the  expedition  un- 
der Amherst  in  1759,  and  in  the  last  great  battle  on  the  Plains 
of  Abraham,  that  terminated  the  French  empire  on  the  conti- 
nent of  North  America.  Indeed,  it  would  seem,  from  a  cursory 
examination,  that  almost  all  the  men  capable  of  bearing  arms 
were  out  during  some  portion  of  this  protracted  and  san- 
guinary contest.  And  they  were  no  mercenary  Swiss,  but 
the  real  brave  yeomanry  of  the  land,  exchanging,  at  the  call  of 
their  country,  the  field  of  agriculture  for  the  field  of  battle. 

14 


106  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

The  same  promptness,  energy,  and  zeal  became  manifest 
at  the  first  bursting  forth  of  the  long-gathering  storm  of 
the  Kevolution.  The  votes  at  town-meetings,  the  resolves 
passed,  were  not  mere  words,  vaporing  words,  expiring 
with  the  breath  that  uttered  them,  or  fading  away  with 
the  ink  that  recorded  them ;  not  like  modern  political  re- 
solves, —  mere  shams.  Oh  no  !  they  had  substance ;  they 
had  emphatic  meaning ;  they  were  carried  out,  even  to  blood 
and  to  death.  The  general  sentiment  was  all  on  one  side ; 
the  time  for  action  had  arrived,  and  the  town  was  ready  for 
action. 

At  the  alarm  on  the  19th  of  April,  the  company  of  minute- 
men,  under  Captain  Benjamin  Houghton,  marched  with  all 
speed  for  Lexington ;  and  the  troop  of  horse,  under  Captain 
Thomas  Gates,  pushed  for  Cambridge,  joining  the  forces  that 
were  intent  upon  driving  the  English  troops  into  Boston ; 
or,  as  his  clerk  phrases  it  on  the  company  roll,  "  to  stop  the 
regulars  from  coming  out  into  the  country,  sent  out  by 
General  Gage."  Ten  men  from  this  small  troop  enlisted  in 
the  ser-vT.ce  of  their  country.  Lancaster  soldiers,  at  present  I 
know  not  how  many,  were  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  One, 
at  least,  was  killed  in  the  battle,  and  another  died  of  his 
wounds.  The  roll  of  Houghton's  company,  if  in  existence, 
will  probably  show  the  number  and  names  of  the  Lancaster 
soldiers  who  fought  on  that  memorable  day.  There  were  six 
from  this  town  who  accompanied  Arnold  in  his  memorable 
and  disastrous  expedition  against  Quebec,  in  the  fall  of  1775. 
Large  numbers  enlisted  in  the  Massachusetts  regiments 
before  the  Continental  army  was  formed,  and  afterwards  in 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHTJSETTS.  107 

the  Massachusetts  line  in  the  Continental  service.  The 
whole  number  of  soldiers  in  the  service,  exclusive  of  those 
who  were  at  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  exceeds  three  hun- 
dred. This  was  about  one-half  of  all  the  ratable  polls,  from 
sixteen  years  and  upwards.  After  deducting  all  the  ratable 
polls  under  eighteen  years,  and  excluding  those  at  the  other 
end  of  the  scale,  too  old  for  service,  it  is  pretty  near  to  a 
demonstration  that  almost  all  the  able-bodied  men  were  in 
the  field  during  the  war.  I  find  them  distributed  through 
nearly  all  of  the  Massachusetts  regiments  in  the  Continental 
army.  Wherever  these  regiments  marched,  and  they  were 
in  most  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolution,  there  Lancaster  was 
represented ;  and  many  of  her  oflacers  were  distinguished  for 
bravery. 

Of  the  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  male  line 
who  "  did  the  state  some  service  "  in  the  field,  I  enumerate, 
independently  of  those  who  were  engaged  on  the  19th  of 
April  and  on  the  17th  of  June,  no  fewer  than  ninety-two,  viz. : 
of  the  names  of  Atherton,  Divoll,  Farrar,  Prescott,  one  each ; 
Beaman,  four ;  Fairbanks,  five  ;  Gates,  two ;  Houghton,  nine ; 
Lewis,  three  ;  Moore,  five  ;  Hugg,  five  ;  Roper,  tkree  ;  Sawyer, 
seventeen;  White,  fivej  Whitcomb,  seven;  Willard,  eight; 
Wilder,  fifteen.  Doubtless  the  towns  that  issued  from  Lan- 
caster, and  other  places  where  those  names  were  found,  would 
add  largely  to  this  list. 

I  have  no  disposition  to  trumpet  the  part  taken  by  the 
people  of  the  valley  in  the  war  for  independence.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  make  proclamation  of  services  and  sacrifices; 
but  I  believe,  in  respect  to  contributions  of  men  and  material 


108  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS  • 

supplies,  Lancaster  would  be  found,  on  examination,  to  have 
contributed  her  full  part,  and  to  have  done  so  as  freely  and 
promptly  as  any  other  town  whatsoever. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  consider,  at  some  length,  the 
various  efforts  that  have  been  made  by  your  predecessors,  as 
well  as  yourselves,  in  the  great  cause  of  education ;  but  I 
must  confine  myself  to  a  very  few  remarks.  The  whole 
history  of  the  public  schools  in  this  place  for  the  first  seventy 
years,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  records,  is  involved  in 
hopeless  obscurity,  with  the  exception  of  an  incidental  men- 
tion here  and  there.  At  one  time,  the  town  was  "  presented  " 
for  want  of  a  schoolmaster ;  but,  "  representing  to  the  Court 
their  circumstances,  and  their  care  for  instructing  of  youth," 
their  excuse  was  accepted.  Some  four  years  afterwards,  they 
were  "  presented  "  again,  for  want  of  a  grammar-school ;  but 
were  discharged  on  payment  of  costs,  having  satisfied  the  Court 
that  they  had  engaged  "young  Mr.  Pierpont,"  a  Cambridge 
graduate,  for  their  instructor.  After  1725  the  records  are 
entire :  they  show  that  some  pains  were  taken  with  the 
training  of  the  children,  though  in  a  less  degree  probably 
than  at  the  present  day,  —  less  actually,  I  mean,  not  less  in 
proportion  to  their  humble  means.  Among  the  instructors, 
there  have  been  many  highly  educated  men,  subsequently 
distinguished  in  professional  and  public  life. 

Passing  over  all  intermediate  time,  I  will  merely  show 
how  Lancaster  stands  at  the  present  day,  compared  with 
other  towns,  in  the  facilities  she  furnishes  for  the  education 
of  her  children.  The  last  and  very  excellent  report  of  the 
Board  of  Education  affords  the  means  of  stating  this  with  a 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  109 

good  degree  of  exactness.  From  1841-2  to  1851-2,  the 
school-tax  throughout  the  State  has  increased  seventy-six  per 
cent. ;  while  the  increase  of  population  has  been  but  thirty- 
five  per  cent.,  including  the  concourse  of  foreigners,  who  have 
poured  in  upon  us  like  a  flood.  Again,  according  to  the 
census  of  1840,  the  tax  averaged  seventy  cents  to  every  in- . 
habitant  of  the  State,  while  the  census  of  1850  gives  ninety- 
one  and  a  half  cents.  In  1841  the  sum  raised  for  each  child 
between  the  age  of  four  and  sixteen  years  was  $2.79 ;  in 
1851,  for  each  child  between  five  and  fifteen  years  of  age,  it 
was  $4.49. 

What,  then,  is  the  part  taken  by  Lancaster  in  this  progres- 
sive improvement  ?  The  report  proves  that  you  are  above  the 
average  in  almost  every  respect.  Of  the  fifty-eight  towns  in 
Worcester  County,  Lancaster  is  the  twelfth  in  length  of  time 
of  schools,  the  twenty-first  in  the  average  wages  of  male  teach- 
ers, and  the  fortieth  in  the  average  wages  of  female  teachers. 
In  1850—51  Lancaster  was  the  twenty -ninth  town  in  the  State, 
and  the  second  in  the  county,  in  the  sum  appropriated  for 
each  scholar,  viz.  $4-71^'^,*  Worcester  alone  preceding  her. 
In  1851-2  Lancaster  was  the  fifty-second  town  in  the  State, 
and  the  third  in  the  county  in  this  respect ;  Worcester  and 
Milford  preceding  her.  We  thus  have  the  absolute  sum  in 
each  town,  and  the  proportion  of  each.  But  the  true  test  of 
public  spirit  is  the  amount  raised  in  proportion  to  the  wealth 
of  the  people.  This  is  ascertained  by  the  valuation  of  1850, 
much  more  accurate  and  more  to  be  relied  on  than  the  valua- 
tions of  preceding  decades,  and  this  from  a  circumstance  not 
praiseworthy  to  our  people.     When  the  representation  in  the 


110  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

Senate  had  reference  to  taxation,  it  was  the  practice  of  the 
valuation  committees,  we  are  told,  and  I  have  no  doubt  many 
present  covild  vouch  for  its  truth,  "  to  appraise  the  property 
just  high  enough  to  prevent  loss  in  their  senatorial  repre- 
sentation, and  just  low  enough  to  prevent  an  undue  propor- 
tion of  taxes."  The  alteration  in  the  Constitution  before 
1850,  prescribing  population  for  the  basis  in  the  Senate, 
rendered  that  "  artful  dodge  "  no  longer  necessary.  In  the 
amount  of  money  raised  in  proportion  to  the  means  of  the 
people,  the  little  town  of  Wellfleet,  on  the  sands  of  Cape 
Cod,  stands  at  the  head  of  the  Commonwealth ;  Milford,  in 
this  county,  stands  second.  Lancaster  stands  seventieth  in 
the  State,  and  sixth  in  the  county,  —  Milford,  AVebster, 
Clinton,  Bolton,  and  Fitchburg  only  before  her.  In  average 
attendance  upon  school,  Pelham,  in  the  hill-country,  with  its 
deep  winter  snows,  stands  first  in  the  Commonwealth ;  Lan- 
caster, the  ninety-third.  In  this  county.  New  Braintree 
stands  first ;  Lancaster,  twenty -eighth,  with  an  average  attend- 
ance of  seventy-eight  and  a  half  per  cent. 

The  ecclesiastical  history  of  Lancaster  is  one  of  signal 
peace.  The  six  ministers  who,  in  their  service  at  the  altar, 
cover  a  period  of  a  hundred  and  ninety-six  years,  >v-ill  com- 
pare very  favorably  with  their  fellows  in  any  other  town. 
They  were  all  men  of  pure  lives  and  conversation,  dwelling 
in  the  tents  of  their  people.  Of  the  living  it  is  not  becoming 
to  speak.  I  hold  converse  only  with  the  dead,  —  Rowland- 
son,  Whiting,  Gardner,  Prentice,  Harrington,  Thayer,  —  all 
sons  of  Harvard.  The  three  first  were  victims,  directly  or 
indirectly,  of  the  Indian  wars.     The  term  of  service  of  the 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  Ill 

three  last  extends  over  a  space  of  a  hundred  and  thirty-two 
years ;  an  average  of  forty -four  years  to  each.  May  future 
years  evidence  the  same  permanence  in  the  pastoral  relation, 
the  same  mutual  confidence,  the  same  generous  sympathies  ! 

What  dispensation  of  the  word  was  enjoyed  by  the 
planters  during  a  year  or  more  after  the  incorporation  of  the 
town,  I  think,  is  unknown  both  to  history  and  tradition. 
Master  Joseph  Rowlandson,  sole  graduate  in  the  class  of 
1652,  under  the  presidency  of  the  glorious  Dunster,  was 
the  son  of  Thomas  E.owlandson,  of  Ipswich,  who  took  the 
freeman's  oath  in  1638.  He  came  to  this  plantation  two 
years  after  he  left  college,  and  continued  to  preach  several 
years  before  his  ordination.  He  remained  the  j)astor  until 
the  town  was  broken  up  in  Philip's  war,  and  he  was  driven 
with  his  flock  to  seek  refuge  elsewhere.  The  heavy  calam- 
ity that  befell  him,  not  only  in  the  loss  of  his  property,  but 
in  the  death  or  captivity  of  his  family  and  relations,  is  suffi- 
ciently well  known  by  those  versed  in  your  contemporaneous 
history,  and  the  simple  narrative  penned  by  his  excellent 
wife  after  her  return  from  dreary  bondage.  He  was  a 
popular  preacher  in  the  plantation.  He  received  a  unani- 
mous call,  with  terms  of  settlement  and  accommodations 
more  liberal  for  the  slender  means  of  the  few  humble  plan- 
ters than  is  usually  found  in  the  richer  heritage  of  the  present 
day.  Tradition  speaks  of  him  as  a  worthy,  faithful,  useful 
man.  But  of  his  ministerial  gifts  and  graces  we  have  no 
record,  other  than  what  can  be  gathered  from  a  few  surviv- 
ing facts.  We  may  form  some  estimate  of  his  wisdom  and 
sound  judgment  and  liberality,  from  the  cii-cumstance  that, 


112  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

when  the  strife  was  hot  between  the  First  Church  in  Boston 
and  the  present  Old  South,  —  because  the  wives  of.  those 
who  formed  the  Old  South  Church  were  debarred  from 
communion  in  the  First  Church,  for  having  partaken  of  the 
service  at  the  Old  South  with  their  husbands,  —  Rowlandson 
was  of  the  council  called  by  the  latter  church..  All  Boston, 
all  the  Bay  churches,  were  in  a  state  of  excitement.  Social 
life  was  disturbed,  while  there  were  no  political  troubles  to 
divide  public  attention.  The  council  embraced  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  clergy  in  the  colony.  By  their 
"  Result "  they  placed  the  First  Church  in  the  wrong,  and 
recognized  the  Old  South  as  properly  constituted,  with 
power  to  admit  those  women  and  others  to  their  communion. 
This  was  an  important  decision  at  that  day,  as  affecting  the 
rights  and  independence  of  the  Congregational  churches. 
Rowlandson  preached  for  some  time  in  Boston,  and  probably 
in  the  other  churches  in  the  Bay.  The  topics  of  three  of 
his  discourses,  being  all  of  which  I  have  any  note,  may 
perhaps  show  the  tendency  of  his  mind  towards  the  rehgious 
affections.  These  were  —  on  divine  influence  in  answer  to 
prayer,  on  the  forgiveness  of  God,  and  on  love  to  God.  The 
good  man,  having  collected  his  family  together  after  many 
wanderings,  went  to  Wethersfield,  in  the  colony  of  Connec- 
ticut, and  there  became  the  colleague  of  the  Bev.  Gershom 
Bulkley.  The  committee  who  had  been  dii-ected  to  inquire 
"  after  an  able  minister  for  the  town "  recommended  Mr. 
Bowlandson.  "The  town,"  so  runs  the  record,  being  "very 
desirous  of  Mr.  Bowlandson's  settling  there  in  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  in  order  to  Iris  encouragement  thereunto,  allow 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  113 

him  XI 00  per  year,  and  the  free  use  of  the  parsonage  lands 
and  houses,  during  his  continuance  amongst  them  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry."  To  this  they  added,  "  in  order  to  his 
procuring  of  a  settled  habitation  for  himself  in  the  town," 
the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds,  "  to  be  paid  twenty  pounds 
a  year  for  five  years."  But  his  career  in  Wethersfield  was 
short.  He  died  on  the  24th  of  November,  1678,  amid  the 
general  lamentation  of  his  people,  as  is  shown  by  their  sym- 
pathetic and  unusual  regard,  for  his  widow.  The  record 
continues :  "  Mrs.  Eowlandson  shall  have  allowed  for  this 
present  year  Mr.  Rowlandson's  whole  year's  rate,  which  was 
formerly  promised,  which  will  in  all  amount  to  six  score 
pounds ;  and,  from  henceforth,  the  town  shall  allow  the  said 
Mrs.  Rowlandson  thirty  pounds  a  year,  so  long  as  she  shall 
remain  a  widow  amongst  us." 

Mr.  Rowlandson  had  a  library  valued  at  <£82 ;  a  much 
larger  library,  I  should  suppose,  than  could  be  found  in 
most  studies  at  that  day.  Hence  I  would  infer  that  he  was  a 
student,  and  kept  up  with  the  current  of  religious  specula- 
tion in  dogmatic  theology,  and  indulged  himself  perhaps 
somewhat  in  the  profane  literature  of  the  time ;  not  getting 
rusty  because  he  had  been  planted  in  a  remote  settlement 
and  almost  wilderness-condition.  He  was  an  author  too. 
Cotton  Mather,  indeed,  quaintly  tells  us,  that  he  was  an  author 
of  "  lesser  composures  out  of  his  modest  studies,  even  as  with 
a  Cesarean  section  forced  into  light."  Do  not  think  -r-  for- 
bid it,  shade  of  the  departed  !  —  that  this  points  to  the  matter 
of  his  "  composures ;  "  it  regards  theii'  bulk  only ;  and  they 
may  have  been,  in  thought  and  expression,  equal  to  the 
15 


i  14  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

larger,  more  ambitious  ''  composures  "  of  the  other  divines 
named  by  Mather.  It  cannot,  of  course,  refer  to  the  pas- 
quinade, in  rhyme  and  prose,  which  he  posted  up  on  the  door 
of  Ipswich  Church,  while  in  the  Senior  Class  at  Cambridge.* 
Cotton  Mather  may  never  have  heard  of  that. 

In  the  first  Indian  incursion,  the  town  was  destroyed,  but 
the  minister  survived.  In  a  subsequent  war,  the  town  sur- 
vived the  attack ;  but  the  minister  lost  his  life.  The  Eev. 
John  Whiting,  of  the  class  of  1685,  son  of  the  Eev.  Samuel 
"Whiting,  of  Billerica,  had  preached  nearly  two  years  in  the 
town  before  he  was  invited  to  the  cure.  His  people  gave  him 
a  new  house  and  some  pleasant  acres,  the  spot  on  which  the 
second  part  of  this  day's  celebration  is  to  be  enacted.  He 
lived  in  peace  with  his  parishioners,  that  is,  with  all  the  town. 
This  is  all  I  can  say  of  his  ministry.  Seven  years  of  good  ser- 
vice, after  his  ordination,  had  passed  quietly  away  in  parochial 
ministrations,  when  the  old  enemy  again  invaded  Lancaster, 
and  Mr.  Whiting  was  slain.  When  attacked,  we  are  told 
that  his  life  was  offered  to  him  if  he  would  but  surrender. 
If  the  thought  were  for  a  moment  entertained,  that  thereby 
he  might  save  his  life,  the  second  thought  rushed  in,  that  a 
surrender  would  involve  captivity,  perhaps  torture  and  death. 
The  resolution  of  refusal  was  at  once  taken.  He  was  over- 
powered when  fighting  valiantly,  and  fell,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three.  His  young  wife,  Alice  Cook,  from  Cambridge, 
survived  him  to  mourn  his  loss  during  a  long  widow- 
hood. 

*  See  Appendix  to  the  "  Narrative  of  the  Captivity  and  Removes  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Rowlandson."    Sixth  edition,  published  by  Carter,  Andrews,  &  Co.  Lancaster,  1828. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  115 

After  an  interval  of  several  years,  Andrew  Gardner,  of  the 
class  of  1696,  discoursed  to  this  people,  much  to  their  liking. 
They  invited  him  to  remain  with  them.  He  accepted  the 
invitation.  The  appointed  day  for  his  separation  and  con- 
secration for  the  work  was  approaching,  when  his  death  oc- 
curred,— the  most  melancholy  in  the  whole  list  of  the  deaths 
of  the  clergymen  of  the  town.  He  was  slain,  not  by  an  enemy, 
but  fell  by  the  hand  of  one  of  his  own  people.  The  Indians 
had  been  abroad,  all  about  Lancaster,  a  few  months  before, 
and  had  killed  several  persons.  At  this  very  time  a  party  of 
them  had  been  discovered  at  Still  River.*  The  garrisons, 
then  numerous,  were  hastened  to  by  all  the  inhabitants  on 
any  alarm.  Mr.  Gardner's  residence  was  a  garrisoned  house. 
A  near  neighbor  of  his  was  set  on  the  watch,  with  others,  to 
guard  and  protect  the  pastor,  his  wife,  and  household.  The 
sentinel,  while  all  was  quiet  within  and  abroad,  was  walking 
his  lonely  round  inside  of  the  fort,  —  now  stopping  to  listen 
for  the  almost  noiseless  tread  of  the  Indian,  as  slight  as  the 
rustling  of  a  leaf  in  the  lightest  breeze,  —  when  suddenly  he 
heard  a  noise,  and,  turning,  dimly  espied  some  one  coming 
down  out  of  the  "  upper  flanker."  Supposing  him  to  be  one 
of  the  enemy,  the  sentinel  called,  but  no  answer ;  he  called  a 
second  time,  but  no  answer.  He  fired,  and  the  shot  took 
fatal  effect.  He  rushed  up  to  his  wounded  enemy,  as  he 
supposed,  when  the  dying  groans  of  his  pastor  met  his  eai's.f 

*  Now  Harvard. 

t  This  account  differs  in  some  of  its  circumstances  from  the  one  given  by  Har- 
rington. It  is  taken  from  the  coroner's  inquest,  and  must  be  considered  conclusive. 
All  the  accounts  exonerate  the  sentinel  from  any  rash  haste.  The  inquest  held  him 
guiltless,  at  the  moment  when  the  feelings  of  all  were  the  most  dreadfully  lacerated. 


116  CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS 

No  imputation  rested  upon  the  character  of  the  unhappy 
sentinel,  the  actor  in  this  terrible  tragedy ;  but  a  life- 
long burthen  was  his,  —  a  suffering  far  greater  and  more 
enduring  than  he  had  been  the  innocent  cause  of-  inflicting. 
A  deep  gloom  settled  down  upon  the  whole  plantation. 
Their  young  minister,  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age,  —  beloved 
by  all,  —  on  the  eve  of  his  ordination,  —  here,  with  his  wife, 
at  his  own  home,  with  years  of  enjoyment  and  sympathy  in 
prospect,  in  the  scene  of  his  appointed  labors,  suddenly 
passes  to  the  spirit-land,  and  there  is  a  general  weeping  and 
lamentation.  We  know  that  he  was  beloved.  *•  His  people," 
says  Harrington,  "had  an  exceeding  value  for  him."  I  will 
show  it  from  even  more  competent  authority;  ovit  of  theii' 
own  mouths,  in  their  own  simple  language,  as  they  gra- 
duate each  successive  loss  higher  in  the  scale.  "  We  have 
lost,"  say  they,  "  several  hundreds  of  pounds  estate  by  the 
Indians,  in  their  last  attack,  together  with  the  loss  of  our 
meeting-house,  burnt  by  them;  and  more  particularly  that 
late  awful  stroke  of  God's  hand,  the  last  week,  in  the  loss 
of  our  reverend  minister,  who  was  every  way  worthy  and 
desirable ;  whose  loss  is  ready  to  sink  our  spuits,  —  ha\ang 
one  minister  slain  by  the  Indians,  and  now  another  taken 
away  by  a  more  awful  stroke." 

Mr.  Gardner  was  son  of  Captain  Andi'ew  Gardner,  who 
was  killed  in  the  Canada  expedition ;  the  same  gentleman 
upon  whom  Judge  Sewall  called,  in  1686,  to  deliver  to  him 
a  commission.  Gardner  "  disabling  himself,"  Sewall  told  him 
that  "  he  must  endeavor  to  get  David's  heart,  and  that,  with 
his  stature,  would  make  a  very  good  ensign."     The  widow 


AT    LANCASTER;    MASSACHUSETTS.  117 

of  the  minister  was  subsequently  married  to  his  successor, 
the  Rev.  John  Prentice. 

No  church-records  remain,  not  a  vestige,  during  the  time 
of  Rowlandson,  "Whiting,  and  Gardner ;  nor  am  I  aware  of 
any  extant  writing  by  any  one  of  those  gentlemen.  I  can 
only  say  that  they  received  the  best  education  the  covm- 
try  could  give,  and  that  they  were  willing  to  cast  their  lot 
here,  in  this  secluded  spot,  —  to  be  cut  off,  in  a  great 
measure,  from  the  more  cultivated  and  refined  life  around 
the  Bay,  —  and  to  devote  their  energies  and  their  lives  to 
the  sincere  teaching  of  the  word. 

The  lives  of  Whiting  and  Gardner  were  extinguished  in 
blood,  youthful  blood.  A  calmer  day,  a  long  day  of  summer, 
arises  upon  the  vision ;  and  all  along  its  hours  we  witness 
other  and  more  enduring  forms,  —  Prentice,  Hai'rington, 
Thayer,  each  fulfilling  an  extended  mission,  and  each  coming 
to  the  "  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh 
in  his  season." 

The  first  half  of  the  last  century  had  nearly  closed  when 
Mr.  Prentice  died.  For  forty  years  he  had  been  set  for 
the  defence  of  the  gosj^el  in  this  place.  The  whole  period 
was  one  of  profound  calm  in  religious  matters.  A  new 
society  had  indeed  been  formed,  but  it  was  in  the  westerly 
part  of  the  town,  now  Sterling,  and  greAV  naturally  out  of  the 
necessities  of  the  people,  from  their  numbers,  and  from  their 
distance  from  the  place  of  public  worship.  They  were 
separated,  but  still  united ;  and  the  minister  of  the  new  parish 
took  to  wife  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Prentice.  Harvard,  Bolton, 
and  Leominster,  from  a  like  necessity,  had  been  constituted 


118  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

distinct   towns ;    and  yet  the   old   town   continued  large   in 
territory,  population,  and  wealth. 

The  character  of  Mr.  Prentice  was  that  of  a  man  of  peace. 
He  was  faithful  to  his  convictions,  forcible  and  plain  as  a 
preacher,  dignified  in  manner,  and  direct  and  earnest  in  his 
appeals.  His  printed  discourses  do  credit  to  the  style  of 
preaching  of  that  day.  He  was  gentle,  but  yet  very  firm, 
and  exhibited  the  fruits  of  a  good  religious  life  in  his  daily 
conduct.  He  was  no  innovator  upon  ancient  forms,  and 
struck  out  into  no  new  paths.  Satisfied  with  the  way  of  the 
churches,  he  asked  for  no  new  guides.  At  least,  I  think  so. 
I  do  not  know  that  his  orthodoxy  was  questioned,  or  that  he 
had  any  tendency  towards  Arminianism.  But,  however  this 
may  have  been,  his  church,  from  year  to  year,  was  gradually 
departing  from  the  doctrine  of  the  earliest  churches  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. In  the  controversy  that  rent  in  twain  sundry  of 
the  congregations  in  the  province,  in  the  latter  part  of  his 
ministry,  caused  by  the  advent  of  Whitefield,  the  church  of 
Mr.  Prentice  remained  unscathed.  Individually,  he  was 
opposed  to  the  course  of  that  most  eccentric,  most  eloquent 
preacher,  if  I  interpret  aright  the  remark  made  by  a  brother 
clergyman,  that  they  "  who  knew  him  esteemed  him  for  his 
commendable  steadiness  in  these  uncertain  times."  Com- 
mendable steadiness  in  these  uncertain  times.  We  cannot 
mistake  the  meaning  of  this  phrase,  when  we  recollect  that  he 
was  one  of  those  ministers  who  decidedly  opposed  the  course 
of  Mr.  Bhss,  of  Concord,  a  most  earnest  disciple  of  White- 
field  ;  and  that  he  joined  with  the  Council  in  advising  the 
disafiected  parishioners  of  Mr.  Bliss  to  secede,  and   support 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  119 

public  worship  among  themselves,  unless  certain  concessions 
should  be  made. 

Bitter,  very  bitter  and  unchristian  as  controversies  have 
since  been  in  the  bosom  of  the  Congregational  Church,  they 
were  equally  so  —  will  not  history  bear  me  out  in  saying, 
more  so  ?  —  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak. 

The  formation  of  a  second  parish  led  to  the  induction  of  a 
minister,  —  the  Rev.  John  Mellen  who,  for  many  years  and 
through  various  scenes,  continued  with  his  people  until  he 
was  rather  unceremoniously,  and  not  according  to  Congrega- 
tional usage,  ejected  from  his  cui-e.  After  preaching  for 
some  years  to  a  portion  of  his  old  hearers,  whose  attachment 
to  him  still  continued,  he  removed  to  Hanover  in  this  State, 
where  he  remained  in  the  ministry  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
No  name  connected  with  the  churches  in  this  neighborhood 
in  the  time  of  Mr.  Mellen,  is  more  fruitful  of  remark  than 
his.  For  talents  and  learning  I  should  say  that  he  was  de- 
cidedly at  the  head,  though  for  martyr  boldness  he  was  not 
to  be  compared  with  his  brother  in  the  ministry  and  by  mar- 
riage, —  Rogers  of  Leominster,  As  the  west  parish  became 
an  independent  town,  but  more  particularly  as  Mr.  Mellen's 
intellectual  and  theological  character  has  been  pretty  fully 
delineated  by  the  faithful  and  accurate  historian  of  Sterling, 
the  late  Isaac  Goodwin,  I  do  not  propose  now  to  traverse  the 
same  ground,  or  give  my  own  view.  The  discussion  would 
occupy  some  time,  and  lead  me  away  from  the  more  appro- 
priate consideration  of  that  which  has  remained  Lancaster. 

The  venerable  figure  and  flowing  white  locks  of  the  excel- 
lent Harrington,  as  they  have  been  described  by  some  of  his 


120  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

people,  and  are  recollected  doubtless  by  some  within  the 
hearing  of  my  voicC;  now  pass  before  me  in  vision.  "VVe 
behold  the  man  uniting  in  his  numerous  years  a  long  past 
age,  with  one  but  lately  closed  upon  us,  and  partaking  of  the 
character  of  both.  Born  early  in  the  last  century,  when  his 
country  was  an  integral  part  of  the  British  empire,  he  lived 
on  in  connection  with  this  people  through  the  old  French 
Avar,  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  rebellion  of  1786, — 
down  almost  within  view  of  the  present  century,  —  witness- 
ing the  greatest  changes  in  our  whole  civil  history,  and  in 
our  ecclesiastical  history  borne  on  vast  surges  of  opinion, 
whose  strife  has  not  subsided  to  the  present  day.  Trained 
at  college  under  the  administration  of  the  catholic,  mild,  and 
judicious  Wadsworth,  Mr.  Harrington  seems  to  have  par- 
taken of  the  same  traits  of  character.  His  early  course  in 
the  profession,  after  he  was  installed  in  this  town,  exhibited 
that  theological  tendency  which  continued  through  life ;  that 
"  steadiness  in  those  uncertain  times  "  for  which  his  prede- 
cessor had  been  commended.  The  course  of  Mr.  Bliss  did 
not  please  him.  He  justified  the  seceders  from  his  church, 
and  manifested  no  spnpathy  with  the  measures  of  Whitefield. 
Not  that  he  was  without  zeal,  but  rather  that  he  possessed 
it  differently  tempered,  —  possessed  it  as  fused  into  and  mo- 
dified by  the  constitution  of  his  own  mind  and  afiections. 
The  key  to  •  the  ministerial  course  of  Timothy  Harrington 
may  be  found  in  the  text  to  the  discourse  preached  at  his 
installation,  — "  And  made  myself  servant  to  all,  that  I  might 
gain  the  more  ; "  servant  to  all  in  the  good  sense  of  the  Apos- 
tle, consisting  with  entire  faithfulness  and  self-respect.     The 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  .   121 

preacher  concludes :  "  And  now,  Timothy,  keep  that  which 
is  committed  to  thy  trust,  and  make  thyself  as  Paul  did,  a 
servant  to  all,  that  you  may  gain  the  more."  He  received 
from  his  people  that  hereditary  respect  which  was  then  enter- 
tained for  those  of  his  order,  and,  what  was  higher  and  better, 
respect  that  he  won  for  himself  as  a  man  and  a  Chiistian. 
The  whole  testimony  borne  by  those  of  his  flock  who  knew 
him  well,  and  have  lived  to  the  present  generation,  is  that  he 
possessed  mildness  of  disposition  with  that  fervor  of  spirit 
which  led  him  to  rebuke  iniquity.  Loving  peace  for  its  own 
sake,  and  because  his  temperament  inclined  him  to  it,  and  of 
calm  judgment,  he  was  slow  to  adopt  new  theories,  and  take 
a  bold  stand  in  their  favor.  One  who  knew  him  well  —  who 
knew  of  what  he  affirmed  —  describes  him  as  "a  model  of  min- 
isterial excellence  j "  as  possessing  "a  good  portion  of  scientific 
attainments ;  singular  pertinency  and  fervor  in  the  perform- 
ance of  devotional  exercises ;  a  pattern  of  Christian  cheer- 
fulness and  aff'ability,  of  sympathy  with  the  sick  and  afflicted, 
and  of  compassion  to  the  j^oor."  A  man  thus  constituted 
well  deserves  the  appellation  of  the  Christian  gentleman. 

It  is  true  of  Mr.  Harrington,  as  of  some  others  of  the 
clergy  after  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  that  a  change  of 
theological  opinions  took  place.  But  I  do  not  now  and  here 
propose  to  open  the  old  controversy  of  1757,  which  has 
excited  some  discussion  of  late,  nor  to  inquire  whether  at  that 
time,  when  Mr.  Harrington  was  of  the  Council  that  censured 
Mr.  Rogers,  of  Leominster,  who  had  departed  from  the  fiiith 
of  the  New  England  fathers,  his  own  opinions  had  become 
modified,  and  if  so  how  far.  Perhaps  he  would  not  be  able  to 
16 


122  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

trace  step  by  step  the  processes  going  on  in  his  own  mind, 
as  it  was  swayed  in  one  direction  and  another  by  metaphysi- 
cal  questions  and  doubts,  bristling  up  at  every  point.      It 
might  well  be,  —  and  probably  was,  —  that  his  opinions  be- 
came modified  by  very  gradual  stages.     Meanwhile  the  old 
theories,  and  the  forms  of  words,  consecrated  by  long  and  de- 
votional association,  would  still  hang  about  the  doors  of  the 
mind.     It  would  be  difficult,  perhaps  not  possible,  to  mark 
the  precise  time  when  the  old  opinions  were  beginning  to 
drift  from  their  fastenings  towards  the  wide  sea  of  specula- 
tion, and  before  the  new-found  safe  and  pleasant  anchorage. 
And  what  anxious  trouble  in  the  interval !  what  fears,  lest, 
after  all,  the  old,  time-honored,  and  revered  were  true ;  and 
the  new  but  the    result    of  a  weak    understanding,  a   pre- 
sumptuous imagination,  and  carnal  reasoning  !     The  subject 
was  momentous,  —  momentous  both  to  the  pastor  and  to  the 
people  of  his  charge ;    for  error  might  run  down  through 
long    lines    of    generations    with    soul-destroying   influence. 
And  a  pastor  might  be   entirely  conscientious  in   deciding 
that  a   brother  had  departed  from  the  faith,  when  certain 
operations  were  going  on  in  his  own  mind,  imperfect  as  yet, 
but  shaking  his   traditions,  and  leading  him  in  the  end,  by 
an  intellectual  necessity,  to  the  same  conclusions. 

The  long  career  of  Mr.  Harrington's  colleague  and  suc- 
cessor *  closed  in  ouj:  own  time,  and  within  the  fresh  remem- 
brance of  many  now  present.  He  came  to  this  place  in  the 
palmy  days  of  its  social  refinement,  when  it  had  recovered 
from  the  depressing  influences  of  the  Kevolution,  and  pros- 
*  The  Rev.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  D.D. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  123 

perity  and  plenty  abounded  and  harmony  prevailed  -within 
its  borders.  He  came  from  the  office  of  instruction  in  our 
venerable  University,  where  he  himself  had  been  successfully 
trained  in  all  the  learning  there  to  be  acquired.  He  came 
with  the  reputation  of  sound  scholarship,  with  a  pleasing 
address  and  conciliating  deportment.  All  circumstances  were 
favorable,  and  justified  that  future,  in  labor  and  service  ex- 
tending over  a  long  period,  which  already  has  become  the 
past,  consigned  to  the  province  of  liistory, 

Possessing  highly  respectable  and  well-disciplined  intel- 
lectual powers,  and  distinct  perceptions  within  their  entii'e 
range,  he  soon  took  a  prominent  stand  in  this  pulpit. 
Clearness  of  thought  gave  clearness  of  expression ;  and  he 
felt  no  desire  to  stretch  beyond  the  limit  which  God  had 
assigned,  and  indulge  in  dreamy  speculations,  grasping  at 
vague  ideas  that  supplied  no  furniture  to  the  mind,  and 
fiided  away  ere  they  could  become  subject  to  exact  ap- 
prehension. He  was,  I  believe,  entirely  conscientious  in 
his  views  of  truth  in  all  matters  of  doctrinal  theology,  as 
well  as  in  the  science  of  morals.  With  distinctive  differences 
of  opinion,  I  have  no  concern  on  the  present  occasion  j  but  I 
doubt  not  that  he  brought  his  best  faculties  to  the  examination 
of  matters  of  faith,  and  that  his  convictions  were  strong  as  well 
as  sincere.  These  he  maintained  honestly  and  openly,  under 
all  circumstances,  through  all  contentions  of  opposing  sects. 
His  discourses  were  calm,  plain,  practical,  solid,  —  not  the 
issues  of  a  fertile  imagination,  to  which  he  laid  no  claim.  If 
deficient  in  wai'mth,  as  interpreted  by  some  minds,  they  were 
not  deficient  in  earnestness,  and  in  that  zeal  which  is  accord- 


124  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

ing  to  knowledge.  His  temperament  led  him  away  from 
impassioned  appeals  and  exhortations,  and  led  him  as  directly 
to  the  inculcation  of  truth  in  the  way  best  suited  to  that 
temperament.  A  clear  and  distinct  enunciation,'  with  great 
gravity  and  solemnity  in  the  conduct  of  the  service,  gave 
power  to  the  devotional  spii'it,  and  additional  weight  and 
authority  to  the  spoken  word. 

Controversies  of  a  sharp  character  were  rife  in  the  commu- 
nity during  a  large  portion  of  his  ministry.  When  one  side 
was  charged  with  exalting  reason  above  revelation,  it  was  met 
on  the  other  side  with  the  argument,  that  the  highest  reason 
was  in  every  way  consistent  with  revelation ;  and  sermons,  in 
consequence,  took  more  generally  the  character  of  addresses 
to  the  understanding  in  the  inculcation  of  religious  truth. 
Ardent  and  quickening  appeals  to  the  affections  and  to  the 
fears  were  rather  avoided ;  and  the  whole  of  the  great  truth 
was  not  evolved,  that  man  believeth  with  the  heart  as  well  as 
the  understanding.  This  was  the  feature  of  that  day ;  the 
necessary  result,  perhaps,  of  the  state  of  the  question  then ; 
and  our  pastor  was  formed  upon  that  principle.  A  more 
evangelical  style  of  discourse,  as  it  is  termed,  belonged  to  a 
subsequent  period,  when  the  first  great  controversy  had  sub- 
sided. 

Among  the  preachers  of  his  own  denominational  views  in 
this  quarter,  he  was  long  regarded  as  a  leading  divine,  and 
his  services  were  highly  acceptable.  He  was  looked  to  for 
counsel  by  the  young  men  of  his  faith,  whose  ready  resort 
to  him  was  received  in  great  kindness  of  spirit ;  while  the 
opinion  of  his  sound  judgment,  prudence,  and  practical  good 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS. 


125 


sense,  caused    him   to    be   sought  very  frequently  to   parti- 
cipate in  ecclesiastical  councils. 

He  was  not  an  easy  recipient  of  new  opinions ;  and  this, 
not  so  much  from  dislike  of  change,  or  dread  of  the  labor  of 
examination,  but  because  he  had  reached  his  conclusions,  his 
conscientious  convictions,  after  elaborate  investigation.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  had  no  bigoted  attachment  to  the  past  as 
such,  as  if  the  wisdom  of  ages,  so  called,  involved  all  truth,  — 
no  dead  conservatism ;  but  welcomed  progress,  if  well  assured, 
from  a  right  point  of  departure.  Devoted  to  the  interests  of 
his  people,  he  sought  no  change  of  place,  engaged  in  no 
piu-suits  that  would  draw  him  away  from  his  appropriate 
calHng,  —  sought  only  to  live  and  die  in  the  midst  of  his 
labors  here.  Hence  his  contentment  was  manifest.  He 
did  not  ask  wealth,  or  a  large  compensation  for  himself, 
and  suitable  to  the  character  of  the  town,  —  no  compensation 
is  large  for  the  clergyman  who  devotes  all  his  time,  talents, 
affections,  and  sympathies,  to  the  good  of  his  people, — but  was 
satisfied  in  that  respect  with  a  very  humble  retui-n  for  a  life- 
long devotion  to  its  interests.  He  had  but  little  opportunity 
for  exact  study ;  for  his  parish  was  large  in  numbers  and  in 
territory,  and  much  time  was  taken  up  in  visits  of  affection 
and  Christian  consolation;  much  also  in  attention  to  the 
numerous  schools  of  the  town,  in  which  he  ever  took  a  deep 
and  active  interest.  Still  I  believe  he  kept  up  with  the 
history  of  theology,  and  the  more  solid  reading  of  his  day. 
In  his  general  intercourse  with  society,  as  well  as  in  the  more 
intimate  relations  of  private  and  domestic  life,  where  the 
man  is  revealed,  he  exhibited  native  dignity  and  self-respect. 


126  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

a  tender  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others,  conciliating  man- 
ners, and  Christian  courtesy.  He  was  charitable  to  the 
extent  of  his  means,  eking  out  those  means,  beyond  his  salary, 
in  ways  to  which  country  clergymen  are  so  often  obliged  to 
have  recourse. 

He  was  eminently  a  prudent  man;  in  temper  mild,  but 
firm  and  well-disciplined;  so  that,  controlling  himself,  he 
could  exert  a  large  and  healthful  control  over  others ;  hav- 
ing his  trials,  too,  amid  a  varied  experience,  verging  upon 
a  half-century,  like  that  of  others  in  his  walk  in  former  and 
later  times. 

As  a  result  of  tliis  imperfect  delineation  of  one  possessing 
so  many  qualities  of  worth  and  excellence,  it  will  of  course 
be  inferred  that  he  was  a  cautious  man.  He  was  so.  He 
was  cautious  in  forming  his  judgments  of  others,  and  very 
charitable  in  those  judgments.  He  would  rather  extenuate, 
would  rather  win  back  the  erring  by  gentle  appliances,  than 
set  down  aught  in  harsh  reproach  and  sharp  denunciation. 
He  ever  counselled  peace.  He  was  a  man  of  peace,  a  great 
lover  of  peace,  willing  to  sacrifice  much  for  it,  —  though 
never  to  the  sacrifice  of  his  self-respect,  —  and  was  ready  to 
take  a  decided  stand,  when  required  by  the  cause  of  religion 
and  good  order. 

His  career  was  long,  prosperous,  and  useful.  Until  near 
the  close  of  his  earthly  labors,  there  was  but  one  organized 
religious  society  throughout  this  large  territory.  He  won  the 
afiectionate  regard  of  a  numerous  people ;  he  gained  a  wide 
influence  with  the  generation  upon  the  stage,  when  he  first 
entered  upon  this  field  of  his  active  work,  —  gained  it  also 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS-  127 

with  that  generation  which  grew  up  with  him,  and  gained  it 
with  their  children  after  them. 

I  have  thus  very  briefly  sketched  the  history  of  Lancaster, 
but  out  of  a  large  accumulation  of  material  have  been  able 
to  seize  upon  only  a  few  of  the  most  prominent  points  in  its 
humble  story.  In  its  infancy,  distant  from  other  habitations, 
we  have  seen  its  repeated  difficulties,  its  first  struggles  into 
life,  and  how  long  it  was  before  the  men  who  had  ventured 
to  plant  their  stakes  here  began  to  feel  a  comfortable  assu- 
rance of  strength  in  these  pleasant  places.  Then,  following- 
down  the  line  of  time  for  some  twenty  years,  we  are  startled 
when  the  long  calm  is  broken  by  the  dreadful  war-cry  of 
the  savage ;  when  the  garments  of  parents  and  childi'en  are 
rolled  in  blood ;  and  the  town  one  general  desolation,  without 
an  inhabitant.  Slowly  the  old  planters,  surviving  the  10th 
of  February,  —  surviving  captivity,  surviving  their  resi- 
dence in  other  towns,  — are  seen  retiu-ning  to  these  familiar 
seats,  and  new  faces  appear  of  those  who  had  no  part  in 
the  early  labors  of  the  plantation.  "We  have  seen  the 
gradual  growth  of  the  town ;  its  vein  of  prosperity  sometimes 
at  fault,  broken  in  upon  by  the  Indian  enemy,  but  still  with 
its  course  onward  in  the  last  century,  when  fragment  after 
fragment  of  the  territory  had  been  broken  off,  each  to  revolve 
on  its  own  centre,  "creating  within  itself  its  means  of  social 
order  and  improvement,  and  leaving  the  old  sun  of  this  little 
system  to  shine  with  diminished  light;  but  without  long 
lament,  and  with  final  joy  that  so  many  little  republics  had 
been  wrenched  from  it  by  no  unlincal  hand.  We  have  seen 
its    subsequent  prosperity,  its    care    for    education,   and    its 


128  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

interest  in  the  well-being  of  religious  institutions.  We  have 
seen  the  peaceful  temper  and  conduct  of  the  people  in  all 
matters  of  theological  doctrine  and  parochial  concerns. 

Not  being  to  the  manor  born,  as  a  disinterested  observer 
I  may  claim  for  Lancaster  a  good  name  among  her  multitudi- 
nous sisters.  I  think  it  will  be  found  in  the  character  of  her 
inhabitants,  in  their  general  observance  of  law,  in  their  love 
of  a  well-regulated  liberty,  in  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of 
rehgion  and  education,  in  the  exhibition  of  the  amenities  and 
charities  of  life,  in  the  long  period  through  which  we  have 
been  looking  back,  that  old  Lancaster  need  not  be  ashamed 
of  her  history,  —  nay,  that  she  may  rejoice  that  she  has  been 
permitted  by  the  blessing  of  God  to  bear  a  worthy  part  in 
helping,  in  her  humble  sphere,  those  great  influences  which 
have  made  historical  Massachusetts  what  she  is. 

And  here  permit  me  to  turn  aside  for  a  few  moments,  and 
dwell  upon  the  history  of  Massachusetts.  How  large  the 
theme  !  How  much  worthy  of  record  it  embraces  in  the  civil 
and  social  condition  of  the  State  in  all  times  !  To  what  other 
Commonwealth,  I  would  ask  (in  no  boastful  vein,  but  grate- 
fully), does  she  stand  second  in  historical  importance,  and 
in  present  comparative  influence  ?  Here  the  sacred  fire  of 
liberty  kindled  from  the  old  Puritan  stock  in  England,  like 
the  fire  of  Prometheus  received  from  heaven,  was  cherished 
and  preserved.  Here,  from  the  earliest  spark  that  warmed 
and  cheered  our  fathers,  we  can  trace  one  long  line  of  light 
down  the  pathway  of  her  history  to  the  present  day ;  and, 
running  back  on  the  same  line,  we  reach  at  once  the  elements 
whence  her  measure  of  success  on  this  portion  of  the  Western 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  129 

Continent  has  been  derived,  —  bravery  in  encountering  peril, 
resolution  bearing  her  up  under  every  difficulty,  perseverance 
carrying  her  through  every  adversity ;  —  in  the  stern  struggle 
of  the  great  Indian  conflict,  in  which  almost  every  male 
from  sixteen  to  sixty  took  part,  and  fears  were  seriously 
entertained  for  the  very  existence  of  the  colony ;  —  in  the 
longer  peril  of  the  Revolution  remaining  steadfast,  —  sad- 
dened at  times,  but  never  desponding, — buckling  on  the 
harness  with  alacrity,  taking  courage  and  looking  to  God  for 
assistance.  In  her  history,  too,  may  be  found  the  inception 
and  growth  of  that  feeling  and  principle  which  may  be  truly 
called  revolutionary  in  a  high  and  worthy  sense,  because 
founded  on  self-reliance,  self-respect,  knowledge  of  individual 
right,  the  equality  of  all  men  before  their  God,  and  a  deter- 
mined spirit  of  resistance  against  aggression,  limited  only  by 
the  power  to  sustain  it,  or  that  could  endure  to  wait  patiently, 
biding  its  time.  We  gather  from  her  histoiy,  in  its  very 
beginning,  a  true  notion  of  the  dignity  of  labor.  The  stub- 
born soil  yields  to  diligent  and  long-continued  effort ;  forest 
after  forest  disappears ;  the  solitary  places  change  to  smiling 
towns  and  villages,  the  abodes  of  quiet  and  peace ;  the  re- 
wards of  industry  appear  on  every  side,  and  the  refinements 
of  life  spread  through  the  whole  mass. 

And  then  behold  her  intellectual  life,  traced  to  the  great 
fountains  of  English  learning,  flowing  through  her  learned 
and  accomplished  sons,  our  liberally-educated  ancestors, 
each  generation  gaining  upon  the  immediately  preceding 
one,  till  it  is  illustrated  and  developed  in  the  fulness  of  the 
stream  tliat  now  gladdens  all  our  borders.  Consider  her 
17 


130  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

religious  institutions,  free  from  papacy,  hierarchy,  and  pres- 
bytery, —  from  all  external  power  and  domination  5  and 
remember  that  it  was  mainly  for  the  enjoyment  of  these 
institutions  untouched,  without  being  called  to  account 
from  any  quarter,  that  your  ancestors  and  mine  came  to 
these  shores;  while  enlarged  civil  rights,  the  equal  rights 
of  all  in  presence  of  the  law,  were  also  in  contemplation. 
"We  meet  with  earnest  and  long-continued  controversies, 
involving  manifold  forms  of  metaphysical  speculation,  pro- 
found dogmas,  and  nice  distinctions,  which,  however  little 
■practical-'in  their  bearing,  sharpened  the  faculties,  and  led, 
by  gradual  stages,  through  many  an  encounter,  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  entire  religious  freedom.  For  a  long  period,  the 
historian  will  find  that  all  the  great  discussions  taxing  the 
intellectual  ability  of  the  colony  Were  confined  to  theological 
polemics,  when  they  did  not  touch  upon  matters  of  civil 
polity ;  and,  though  the  reader  may  marvel  that  men  should 
grow  so  hot  and  fight  so  hard  and  so  long  upon  vanishing 
points,  he  will  be  able  to  appreciate  the  scholastic  vigor 
manifested  in  these  discussions,  and  to  discern  the  strength 
they  gave  to  habits  of  thought,  and  the  power  they  infused 
into  the  great  mind  of  the  colony.  These  men  reasoned  high 
indeed,  with  earnestness,  with  abiding  belief  in  the  vital 
importance  of  the  subjects  in  controversy  to  the  honor  and 
stability  of  the  church,  and  the  good  of  mankind. 

The  history  of  Massachusetts,  in  its  wide  extent,  is  sub- 
stantially the  history  of  New  England  for  a  long  series  of 
years.  She  was  early  the  governing  and  guiding  power. 
Connecticut  sprang  immediately  from  her  bosom,  and  at  once 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  131 

took  her  impress ;  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  over  whom 
she  saw  fit  to  extend  her  jurisdiction  and  government, 
had  occasion  ever  to  bless  her  name  for  the  salutary  power 
she  exercised,  —  sharp,  at  times,  no  doubt,  and  stringent, 
but  wholesome  to  the  building  up  of  commonwealths  ;  while, 
from  a  reflex  influence,  our  little  sister  Ilhode  Island,  born 
out  of  opposition,  and,  as  some  would  say,  persecution,  has 
been  a  sharer  in  the  benefits  bestowed  by  her  elder  sister.* 
The  influence  of  Massachusetts,  thus  leading  and  controlling, 
moulded  the  character  of  the  New  England  people  into  one 
homogeneous  whole,  with  the  traits  of  energy,  prudence, 
thrift,  sagacity,  vigilance  against  every  encroachment  on  indi- 
vidual right  in  civil  and  religious  matters,  obedience  to  law, 
and  with  sympathy  for  the  oppressed.  She  was  conservative, 
and  yet  progressive ;  sometimes  in  the  wrong ;  blinded  at 
times,  but  soon  becoming  clear-sighted ;  of  great  heart,  beating 
with  high  impulses ;  of  noble  purposes,  carried  out  in  noble 
deeds  ;  of  large  enterprise,  followed  by  individual  and  general 
success.  All  this  was  derived  from  that  State,  "  inferior  to 
many  others  in  extent,  wealth,  and  commerce,"  says^  a  distin- 
guished man  out  of  our  confines,  "  but  superior  to  them  all  in 
intellectual  and  social  development."     And  for  all  this,  for  all 


*  Even  good  Roger  Williams,  whose  exclusive  spirit  sensibly  diminished  on  his 
banishment,  and  who  finally  became  well-tempered  and  wise,  found  his  little  colony 
too  turbulent  for  his  comfort  or  control,  and  gladly  would  have  come  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Massachusetts.  In  a  letter  which  he  addressed  to  the  General  Court, 
15,  9  mo.,  1655,  as  "  President  of  Providence  Plantations,"  he  says: «'  Honoured  Sirs, 
I  cordially  professe  it  before  the  Most  High,  that  I  believe  it,  if  not  only  they  "  (viz. 
four  English  families  at  Pawtuxet),  "  but  ourselves,  and  all  the  whole  country,  by  . 
joint  consent,  were  subject  to  your  government,  it  might  be  a  rich  mercy."  —  Hutch- 
inson Papers. 


132  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

that  we  possess  and  enjoy,  under  the  good  providence  of 
Almighty  God,  we  are  more  indebted  to  that  first  impress 
stamped  by  the  sturdy  old  Puritans  upon  our  institutions, 
upon  Massachusetts'  individual  character  at  the  start,  than  to 
all  else  at  all  time. 

The  history  of  Massachusetts  is  still  a  fresh  subject,  —  in 
hackneyed  phrase,  is  yet  to  be  written.  Hutchinson,  whose 
name  has  come  down  to  us  with  so  much  obloquy,  that  justice 
has  not  been  done  to  his  merits,  was  endowed  with  much 
more  than  common  ability,  —  a  correct,  impartial,  laborious 
writer,  learned  in  all  that  pertained  to  his  subject,  careful  in 
examination,  cautious  in  expression,  and  in  many  ways  enti- 
tled to  great  praise.  He  has  preserved  many  facts  that  other- 
wise would  have  been  lost ;  and  many  others  he  would  have 
preserved,  but  for  the  drunken,  infuriated  mob  that  destroyed 
his  mansion-house,  with  the  accumulated  historical  treasures 
of  thii'ty  years'  gathering.  In  his  last  volume,  covering  the 
whole  period  of  the  controversy  before  the  Revolution,  con- 
sidering that  he  was  act  and  part  therein,  that  he  was  engaged 
in  exceeding  bitter  political  warfare,  and  had  often  measured 
swords  with  the  great  leaders  of  the  revolutionary  party,  he 
has  observed  a  measure  of  impartiality  and  dignity  truly 
commendable.  But  Hutchinson's  tendencies  are  more  im- 
portant to  us  in  his  preceding  volumes,  embracing  the  form- 
ing period  of  the  New  England  character  and  institutions. 
He  was  a  man  of  phlegmatic  temperament  —  his  portraits 
show  it  —  his  work  shows  it ;  —  was  of  cold  exterior  like  a 
very  Puritan,  but  not,  like  the  Piu'itan,  of  intense  purpose. 
He  was  not  of   a  nature  to  understand  and  delineate    the 


AT   LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  133 

qualities  of  the  progressive  Commonwealth ;  and,  if  he  had 
been,  his  false  position  and  association  growing  naturally 
out  of  the  constitution  of  his  mind,  even  when  liberally  in- 
clined, would  have  defeated  all  generous  views,  and  prevented 
his  success.  He  did  not  appreciate  the  magnitude  of  his 
subject,  nor  comprehend  the  great  elements  of  the  people, 
and  the  wonderful  destiny  to  which  they  had  been  called. 
He  is  hedged  in  by  prerogative,  —  hampered  by  station,  — 
never  committing  himself  to  a  full  and  free  glow  of  feeling ; 
and  fails,  therefore,  in  tracing  the  gradual  development  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  working  itself  out  to  perfect  form 
through  all  "intervening  obstacles.  He  construed  the  old 
charter  like  a  common  lawyer  touching  the  relations  between 
the  colony  and  the  mother-country.  He  viewed  the  colo- 
nists early  and  late  as  mistaken  in  their  theory  of  their  rights, 
while  he  expresses  himself  ready  to  excuse  them,  because 
some  of  the  nobility  and  principal  commoners  in  England 
early  entertained  the  same  theory.  Dependence  he  regarded 
as  a  duty  under  all  circumstances,  and  could  scarcely  con- 
ceive of  a  state  of  affairs  —  a  degree  of  oppression  —  that 
would  justify  resistance.  Hence  he  wholly  fails  in  estimat- 
ing the  constant  sensitive  feeling  manifested  in  a  long  line 
of  instances,  running  through  more  than  a  century,  against 
interference  from  abroad.  It  became  his  greatest  pride  in 
every  event  to  exhibit  the  most  devout  loyalty  of  a  subject ; 
and  all  his  love  of  country  was  at  last  absorbed  in  allegiance 
to  the  crown.  Mighty  dreams  of  ambition  laid  fast  hold  of 
him,  and  he  fell  —  fell  below  the  depth  of  plummet,  as  poli- 
ticians untrue  to  a  great  and  holy  cause  have  fallen  in  every 


134  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

age.  His  enlightened  and  valuable  service  for  a  long  series 
of  years  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  Province ;  his  ability 
and  impartiality  in  a  high  judicial  station,  once  gratefully  re- 
ceived and  freely  acknowledged,  were  all  sunk  in  the  popular 
estimation,  and  in  the  judgment  of  the  wise,  when,  deserting 
the  cause  of  liberty  in  his  native  land,  he  looked  to  the 
throne  for  promotion,  wealth,  and  power. 

But,  in  addition  to  all  this.  Governor  Hutchinson's  History 
ends  with  the  year  1774.  Judge  Minot,  in  his  faithful  and 
excellent  History,  chiefly  considers  the  course  of  events 
from  1748  to  1765.  We  are  without  any  worthy  commemo- 
ration of  the  old  Commonwealth  from  the  time  of  Hutchin- 
son's departure  for  England,  through  the  Revolutionary  "War 
down  to  the  present  generation.  Meanwhile  the  materials 
have  been  constantly  accumulating.  Winthrop's  Journal, 
the  corner-stone  of  our  history,  existing  in  manuscript  until 
near  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  known  only  to  Hutch- 
inson through  the  dilution  of  Hubbard,  but  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  public  through  the  exact  labors  of  its  learned  and  ac- 
complished editor,  —  the  archives  of  the  Commonwealth,  — 
county  and  town  records,  —  town  histories,  —  pamphlets,  — 
newspapers,  —  letters,  —  the  collections  of  historical  societies 
printed  and  manscript,  at  home  and  abroad,  —  the  treasures 
of  the  Plantation  Office,  and  other  foreign  sources,  —  afford 
a  mass  "of  authentic  facts  in  rich  profusion,  all  ready  to 
be  combined,  and  to  be  moulded  into  form  by  a  hand 
competent  to  furnish  a  standard  history  from  the  first  germ, 
through  every  subsequent  period  of  growth,  to  its  full  and 
final  maturity. 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  135 

We  now  want  the  man,  —  Heaven  grant  that  he  may  be 
raised  up  to  us  !  —  who  will  buckle  on  the  armour  for  this 
great  work.  Let  no  incompetent  or  imperfectly  disciplined 
hand  attempt  it.  It  is  a  task  not  to  be  lightly  undertaken. 
It  is  to  be  entered  upon  with  no  holyday  or  irreverent 
feeling.  There  must  be  an  entire  consecration  to  the  office. 
The  historian  must  be  a  ripe  ahd  good  scholar,  accomplished 
at  all  points  by  the  most  careful  and  exact  training.  He 
must  live  in  the  past,  with  all  the  lights  of  the  present  re- 
flected upon  it.  He  must  be  a  son  of  Massachusetts,  to 
the  question  born,  identified  in  feeling  with  every  portion 
of  her  great  story ;  all  of  which  must  lie  as  a  well-delineated 
chart  in  his  mind.  He  must  pierce  through  their  garb  and 
whatever  is  repulsive  in  their  bearing,  and  gain  a  thorough 
insight  into  the  character  of  the  Puritans,  —  comprehend 
their  great  virtues,  their  lofty  principles,  their  incontestable 
sacrifices.  He  must  himself  smack  of  the  old  stock,  —  have 
the  sturdy  root  within  him ;  while,  in  his  port  and  bearing, 
he  gives  evidence  that  the  milder  qualities  and  the  refine- 
ments of  life  have  been  superinduced.  He  must  under- 
stand the  nature  of  the  government  here  founded ;  interpret . 
its  genius ;  and  find  in  the  actual  situation  of  our  fathers, 
outcasts  as  it  were  from  the  Old  World,  but  with  rights 
as  a  Corporation  giving  them  exclusive  privileges,  a  justifica- 
tion of  much  that  is  put  down  to  the  score  of  intolerance 
and  persecution.  He  must  be  able  to  show  how,  if  they 
had  been  less  rigid,  the  colony  would  have  been  overrun 
with  adventurers,  loose  and  profane  persons ;  deriding  our 
ancestral  peculiarities,  exercising  our  elective  franchise,  with- 


136  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

out  a  stake  in  the  country  ]  weakening  public  authority,  and 
endangering  the  very  existence  of  the  colony.  He  must 
be  able  to  trace,  by  the  clearest  deductions,  the  growth  of 
free  principles  through  peace  and  war,  till  the  final  and 
necessary  result  in  the  establishment  of  a  well-balanced 
state ;  and  to  this  work,  to  which  he  should  be  moved  by 
mighty  forces  from  within,  he  must  devote  many  of  his 
best  years,  —  his  entire  and  vigorous  powers.  Nothing  less 
can  be  demanded.  The  Commonwealth,  the  common  mother 
of  our  peace  and  joy,  —  with  all  her  intellectual,  moral,  social, 
and  industrial  developments,  —  will  be  satisfied  with  no  less. 
Descendants  of  the  early  Pilgrims  of  this  valley ;  citizens 
of  Lancaster,  a  place  eminently  "  fit  for  a  plantation  ;  "  men 
and  women,  wholly  "  meet  for  such  a  work,"  as  part  of  the 
general  weal,  as  well  as  individuals  of  the  town,  bearing  a 
part  in  the  institutions  of  the  land !  you  are  called  to  great 
privileges,  and  have  corresponding  duties.  You  can  look 
back  upon  a  local  history,  not,  indeed,  marked  with  any 
great  events  or  portentous  changes,  but  quiet,  well-ordered, 
and  unpretending.  The  humble  men  who  first  took  up 
their  abode  here,  seem  not  to  have  been  contentious  to  any 
extent,  but  generally  harmonious  and  loving,  —  like  one 
entire  family  in  mutual  dependence ;  with  no  special  range 
of  thought  or  enlarged  purpose^  but  seeking  to  establish 
themselves  in  those  peaceful  relations  which  they  could  not 
find  at  home.  They  were  attached  to  the  soil  by  theii*  daily 
labors,  and  to  the  soil  they  looked  for  their  support,  and  the 
"  enlargement  of  their  outward  estate ; "  essaying  what  they 
could,  in  their  circumscribed  condition,  to  build  up  the  church 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  137 

and  school ,'  gradually  increasing  in  numbers,  and  set  down 
in  larger  sums  in  the  rates,  as  their  means  widened  out.  They 
lived  in  comfort ;  for  the  earth  yielded  a  liberal  increase,  and 
the  woods  and  streams  furnished  them  out  of  their  abund- 
ance. Here  they  toiled,  enjoyed,  and  suffered  in  their  daily 
round  of  duty,  at  a  distance  from  the  busthng  world ;  their 
territory  seldom  traversed  save  by  some  Groton,  Concord, 
or  Sudbury  man,  wending  his  way  along  the  bridle  path, 
piercing  the  forest  and  fording  the  stream,  to  visit  some 
relative  or  friend,  or  ask  some  maiden  in  marriage,  —  or, 
ever  and  anon,  a  more  hardy  rider  passing  thi-ough,  from  the 
Bay  to  Connecticut,  by  the  newly-discovered  path,  "which 
avoided  much  of  the  hilly  way."  A  silence  reigned  all 
around  the  borders  of  the  plantation,  —  the  solemn  silence 
of  nature,  —  broken  only  by  the  music  of  the  bird,  or  the 
howl  of  the  wild  beast. 

The  blood  of  these  men  and  women  flows  in  the  veins  of 
many  now  present.  May  you  emulate  their  industry ;  prac- 
tise, if  need  be,  their  self-denial;  remain  content  with  the 
more  agreeable  lot  that  is  yours,  as  they  were  content  with 
theirs ;  not  despising  their  day  of  small  things,  their  scanty 
learning,  their  limited  means ;  but  endeavoring  to  build  up, 
as  they  did,  to  venerate  all  the  great  purposes  of  social  orga- 
nization, and  to  have  regard  to  your  Master-Rowlandsons, 
as  they  had  to  theirs.  From  these  men  have  proceeded 
other  generations,  out  of  which  have  issued  those  who  have 
done  good  service  in  their  day,  in  the  learned  professions, 
and  in  civil  and  military  office ;  historians  and  poets ;  men 
skilled  in  the  useful  arts ;  women,  with  the  attractions  of 
18 


138  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS 

literature,  of  pleasant  culture,  of  domestic  refinement, — 
an  intimate,  ever-honored,  distinguished  portion  of  the  social 
fabric. 

Your  responsibilities  are  scarcely  to  be  measured.  They 
are  not  here  or  there.  They  reach  all  time  and  place,  centres 
of  ever-widening  circles.  They  belong  to  the  relations  of 
private  life  in  your  own  households,  where  the  holiest  influ- 
ences should  abound,  and  be  beautifully  exemplified;  and 
out  of  which,  in  larger  extent,  should  be  touched  the  various 
connections  binding  man  to  society;  and  through  which 
should  be  inculcated,  in  the  pregnant  words  of  our  State 
Constitution,  "  the  principles  of  humanity  and  general  bene- 
volence, public  and  private  charity,  industry  and  frugahty, 
honesty  and  punctuality  in  dealings,  sincerity,  good  humor, 
and  all  social  affections  and  generous  sentiments."  As 
citizens,  be  known  as  those  who,  by  their  efforts  and  example, 
are  ever  ready  to  do  good  service  to  town  and  common- 
wealth, in  all  their  great  departments  and  interests ;  remem- 
bering, that,  however  humble,  every  one  has  liis  own  sphere 
of  influence  more  or  less  extended,  and  that  his  obligation 
to  unremitting,  beneficial  work  is  paramount  while  life 
lasts.  As  free,  as  men,  be  bold  for  the  truth,  never 
encouraging  a  false  public  sentiment,  never  yielding  up 
your  right  of  thought ;  but  consider  it  "  a  base  abandonment 
of  reason "  to  resign  it,  whether  for  sneers  or  threats,  the 
opposition  of  the  few  or  the  many,  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  public  station,  or  any  other  factitious  condition.  While 
you  gracefully  yield  to  others  their  rights,  never  allow  the 
utmost  freedom  of  opinion,  and  the   expression  thereof,  to 


AT    LANCASTER,    MASSACHUSETTS.  139 

be  called  in  question  by  any  man  or  body  of  men.  If  you 
permit  individual  opinion  to  be  crushed,  much  more  if  you 
join  in  a  bHnd  crusade  against  it,  remember  your  own  danger. 
It  may  be  convenient  for  you  now  to  denounce  ;  but  the  time 
may  come,  —  comes  often,  by  universal  experience,  —  when 
your  position  will  be  reversed,  and  you  will  need  that  support 
and  protection  which  you  have  denied  to  others ;  when  the 
cold  demeanor  and  the  averted  look  will  teach  you  your 
worse  than  folly  in  having  failed  to  assert  the  right  in  your 
brother's  emergent  occasion.  Bound  together  by  one  invisi- 
ble but  enduring  chain  of  dependence,  having  one  duty  and 
one  community,  let  general  harmony  abound,  with  individual 
differences  and  peculiarities. 

As  a  people,  we  have  had  our  misfortunes  and  adversities, 
suflPering  from  poverty  and  straits,  from  oppression  and  vio- 
lence, all  which  have  passed  away.  Long  since,  we  have 
come  out  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness ;  and  now,  in  our  clear 
sunshine,  in  the  possession  of  national  and  individual  wealth, 
acquired  with  a  rapidity  almost  unexampled  iy  the  history  of 
the  world,  we  are  to  be  still  more  sorely  tried. 

In  a  common  danger,  when  a  common  calamity  is  impend- 
ing, men  band  together.and  struggle  against  it,  and  come  out 
from  it  with  the  great  elements  of  their  character  strengthened 
aiid  purified.  But,  in  a  time  of  abounding  prosperity,  men 
are  apt  to  -become  hard,  unsympathizing,  selfish.  This  is 
our  danger ;  this  the  peculiar  trial  and  temptation  we  are 
called  upon  to  meet.  Luxury  and  barbaric  splendor  are  creep- 
ing in  upon  us  "vvith  feai'ful  power;  intense  love  of  the 
pleasures  of  sense,  a  diseased  passion  for  excitement,  lioAage 


140  CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS. 

to  money,  low  in  its  principle  and  degrading  in  its  effects,  are 
influencing  us  to  an  extent  hitherto  unknown ;  while  there 
is  fear  that  the  highest  civilization,  so  called,  is  producing 
the  lowest  forms  of  Christian  belief  and  practice-,  and  sacri- 
ficing the  life  of  our  spiritual  nature  to  a  deadly  materialism. 
Literature  and  art  will  not  save  a  people ;  for,  while  they 
may  refine  in  some  respects,  they  may  become  the  handmaids 
of  vice  as  well  as  of  virtue,  and  be  prostituted,  as  they  have 
been  prostituted,  to  the  worst  uses. 

Believing  in  progress,  —  believing  that  the  world  has  made 
great  progress,  and  that  vast  good  has  come  along  side  by  side 
with  bad  tendencies,  —  esteeming  it  a  great  privilege  to  live 
in  the  present  age,  with  our  wide  social  relations  and  indivi- 
dual rights,  —  let  us  bring  up  stern  principle  and  undying 
faith  to  every  encounter ;  let  them  underlie  the  whole  man ; 
and  then,  however  sharply  we  are  tried  by  a  prosperous,  as 
our  fathers  were  by  an  adverse  condition,  we  shall,  like  them, 
gain  the  "victory,  and  perpetuate  what  we  now  possess  and 
enjoy;  then,  if  the  thick  cloud  shall  rise  above  our  horizon, 
and  spread  upward,  threatening  night,  blessed  hope  will  rise 
still  higher,  and  "play  upon  its  edges,"  tinging  them  with 
its  own  brightness,  and  bringing  the  assurance  of  perfect 
day. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


At  a  town-meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Lancaster,  held  Nov.  29, 1852, 
it  was  unanimously  voted,  "  That  the  town  will  commemorate  the 
two-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  Lancaster,  by 
holding  a  celebration  of  that  event  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-three." 

At  the  same  meeting,  a  genez'al  Committee  of  ten  persons,  in- 
cluding the  three  clergymen  of  the  town,  was  appointed  to  carry 
out  the  purpose  of  the  above  vote. 

It  was  also  voted,  "  That  all  the  towns  which  formerly  composed 
a  part  of  Lancaster  be  invited  to  unite  with  us  in  the  proposed 
celebration." 

The  general  Committee,  after  filling  two  vacancies  made  by 
resignation  and  adding  several  new  members,  consisted  of  the 
following  persons :  Rev.  Charles  Packard,  Rev.  Benjamin  Whit- 
temore.  Rev.  George  M.  Bartol,  William  Townsend,  John  G. 
Thurston,  Jacob  Fisher,  John  M.  Washburn,  George  Cnmmings, 
Calvin  Carter,  Henry  Wilder,  Charles  L.  Wilder,  Anthony  Lane, 
Matthew  F.  Woods,  and  John  Thurston. 

John  G.  Thurston  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee  ; 
and  John  M.  Washburn,  Secretary. 

In  pursuance  of  the  design,  whose  execution  had  Ixn-n  entrusted 
to  them  by  the  town,  the  Committee  held  niuneroiis  meetings,  at 


144 


APPENDIX. 


some  of  which  delegates  from  neighboring  towns  were,  by  invita- 
tion, present  to  co-operate.  Sub-committees  were  appointed,  and 
the  following  persons  were  chosen  as  officers  of  the  day :  — 

Rev.  CHARLES  PACKARD,  President; 


Vice-  Pres  idents. 


Rev.  Benjamin  Whittemore. 
George  Cummings. 
John  G.  Thurston. 
Jacob  Fisher. 
John  M.  Washburn. 
Anthony  Lane. 
Chaexes  Wtman. 


Henry  Wilder. 
Calvin  Carter. 
Wilder  S.  Thurston. 
Charles  Humphrey. 
Silas  Thurston. 
Charles  L.  Wilder. 
Samuel  W.  Burbank. 


John  G.  Thurston. 
Jacob  Fisher. 
George  Cummings. 


Committee  of  Reception. 

Calvin  Carter. 

Peter  T.  Homer. 

George  R.  M.  Withington. 


Dr.  John  L,  S.  Thompson Chief  Marshal. 


Assistant  Marshals. 


G.  F.  Chandler. 
Stevens  H.  Turner. 
James  Childs. 
Joel  W.  Phelps. 


G.  W.  Howe. 
Warren  Davis. 
Charles  J.  Wilder. 


H.  C.  Kimball Toast-Master. 


The  morning  of  Wednesday,  June  15,  rose  clear  and  serene,  and 
was  ushered  in  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  booming  of  cannon. 
At  an  early  hour,  citizens  from  our  own  and  neighboring  towns, 
with  those  who  had  come  from  more  remote  distances,  assembled 
at  the  Town  House,  to  exchange  greetings  of  welcome  and  con- 
gratulation. 

At  about  10,  A.M.,  a  procession  was  formed,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Marshal,  of  those  desirous  of  attending  the  exercises  to  be 


APPENDIX.  145 

held  at  the  meeting-house  of  the  First  Parish.     The  order  of  ser- 
vices in  the  church  was  as  follows  :  — 

I.    VOLUNTAKY   BY  THE  CHOIR, 


II.    INVOCATION  BY  THE  REV.  GEORGE  M.  BARTOL. 


III.     READING  OF  SCRIPTURES  BY  THE  REV.  GEORGE  M.  BARTOL. 


IV.     PSALM  LXXVIII. 

Let  children  hear  the  mighty  deeds 

Which  God  performed  of  old ; 
"Which  in  our  younger  years  we  saw, 
*  And  which  our  fathers  told. 

He  bids  us  make  his  glories  known,  — 
His  works  of  power  and  grace  ; 

And  we  '11  convey  his  wonders  down 
Through  every  rising  race. 

Our  lips  shall  tell  them  to  our  sons, 

And  they  again  to  theirs. 
That  generations  yet  unborn 

May  teach  them  to  their  heirs. 

Thus  they  shall  learn,  in  God  alone 
Their  hope  scciu'cly  stands. 

That  they  may  ne'er  forget  his  works. 
But  practise  liis  commands. 


V.    PRAYER  BY  THE  REV.  CHRISTOPHER  T.  THAYER,  OF  BEVERLY. 


VI.    ODE  BY  MISS  HANNAH  F.  GOULD,  OF  NEWBURYPORT. 

The  dark  forest  frowned  o'er  the  unopened  sod ; 

The  scene  was  a  ■wilderness  howling, 
With  trails  whero  the  wolf  and  the  man-savage  trod, 
Unkno^ving  alike  of  tlioir  Maker  and  God ; 

And  each  for  his  victim  was  pro\\ling. 
Oiu:  anthems  arise  where  the  wild-A\'ood  air. 

Moaning,  wailing, 
Hath  shuddered  the  war-whoo])  to  bear  ! 

19 


1 40  APPENDIX. 

Our  forefathers  cried  to  the  King  they  adored,  — 

"  Jehovah  our  banner  !  Jehovah  !  " 
They  bowed  at  his  tlurone  in  a  holy  accord ; 
Then  here  bore  for  safety  the  ark  of  the  Lord, 

The  drear  oceiTii-waste  roaming  over. 
Their  harps,  that  had  hushed  on  the  willows  hung,    , 

Sounded,  joj'ful. 
Till  Nature's  grand  temple-arch  rung. 

Around  their  rude  altar  in  trust  as  they  kneeled, 

A  guard  of  strong  angels  attending 
Spread  o'er  them,  unseen,  their  bright  wings,  as  a  shield, 
TiU  darkness  was  chased  by  the  Day-fount  unsealed. 

With  streams  of  a  light  never-ending. 
The  desert  was  sweetened  with  Sharon's  rose, 

Thornless,  blooming. 
All  fair  and  immortal  that  grows. 

Two  Centuries  now  hath  our  Lancaster  seen. 

And  left  not  a  cloud  on  her  story : 
"With  eye  clear  and  beaming,  her  brow  is  serene, 
Her  footsteps  direct,  and  majestic  her  mien, 

"While  passing  from  glory  to  glory. 
Her  jewels  unblemished  will  yet  be  shown, 

Sliining,  priceless. 
And  nimibered  of  God  as  his  own  ! 

But  how  for  het  day  she  hath  acted  her  part. 
With  wisdom,  and  beauty,  and  fitness,  — 

For  cultmre  of  earth,  of  the  mind,  of  the  heart, 

Por  commerce  and  science,  for  letters  and  art,  — 
Let  heaA-en,  earth,  and  sea,  bear  her  Avitness  ! 

Her  children  arise,  and  proclaim  her  blest : 
Onward,  upward  ! 

She  points  them  for  honor  and  rest. 

May  she,  when  her  aloe  shall  blossom  anew, 
New  beauties  and  poAvers  be  unfolding, 

With  ever-fresh  blessings,  like  spring-showers  and  dew ; 

And  we,  to  whom  earth  must  be  then  but  review. 
The  lilies  unearthly  beholding ; 

For  circling  to-day  our  old  Home  hearth-stone. 
Stronger,  brighter 

Our  ties  where  no  parting  is  knoAvn  ! 


APPENDIX. 


VII.    ADDRESS  BY  JOSEPH  WILLARD,  ESQ.  OF  BOSTON. 


147 


VIII.    PRAYER  BY  THE  REV.  BENJAMIN  AVHITTEMORE. 


IX.    PSALM  CVII. 

Where  notliing  dwelt  but  beasts  of  prey, 
Or  mep  as  fierce  and  wild  as  they, 
God  bids  the  opprest  and  jioor,  repair, 
And  builds  them  towns  and  cities  there. 

They  sow  the  fields,  and  trees  they  plant, 
Whose  yearly  fruit  supplies  their  want : 
Their  race  grows  up  from  fruitful  stocks ; 
Their  wealth  increases  with  their  flocks. 

The  righteous,  Avith  a  joyful  sense, 
Admire  the  works  of  Providence ; 
And  Avise  observers  still  shall  find 
The  Lord  is  holy,  jiist,  and  kind. 


X.    BENEDICTION. 


The  singing  was  performed  with  taste  and  spirit  by  a  large  choir 
of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Lancaster,  finder  the  lead  of  Mr. 
Osgood  Collister. 

The  church  was  tastefully  decorated  with  evergreens  and 
flowers.  The  names  of  the  deceased  ministers  of  Lancaster  — 
Rowland  SON,  "Whiting,  Gardner,  Prentice,  Harrington, 
Thayer  —  were  fixed  in  evergreen  upon  the  panels  of  the  galle- 
ries, with  the  dates  1653  and  1853  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of 
the  pulpit  respectively,  and  the- words  "Christ  and  the  Church" 
and  "  Welcome  Home  "  on  the  gallery  frynting  the  pulpit. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises  in  the  church,  a  procession,  arranged 
in  the  following  order,  was  formed  of  those  wishing  to  pai'take  of 


148  APPENDIX. 

the  public   dinner,  which  was   spread  under  a  spacious  tent  in 
Chandler's  Grove. 

ESCORT. 

The  Committee  of  Arrangements. 

President  of  the  day,  and  Vice-Presidents. 

Orator  and  Chaplains. 

Invited  Guests. 

Adjoining  To-wais,  in  the   Order  of  Seniority. 

Members  of  the  New  England  i^ormal  Institute. 

Citizens  of  Laiicastei-. 

With  the  soufid  of  music,  the  waving  of  banners,  and  the  echo- 
ing of  cannon,  the  procession  wound  its  way  up  Burial-ground  Hill, 
and  entered  beneath  the  protecting  shade  of  the  venerable  trees. 
An  arched  gateway,  trimmed  with  evergreen,  led  into  the  grove ; 
and  the  mottoes,  "  Welcome  Home,"  "  Though  long  absent  not  for- 
gotten," were  placed  near  the  entrance. 

About  two  thousand  persons  entered  the  tent  to  partake  of  tlie 
festivities  of  the  dinner.  The  tables  were  bountifully  spread  with 
substantial  comforts,  and  the  hand  of  the  ladies  was  apparent  in 
the  graceful  trimmings  that  everywhere  met  the  eye,  bountifully 
furnished  by  the  gardens  and  woods.  Above  the  heads  of  the 
guests  were  suspended  the  words,  "  Here  friends  and  brothers 
meet ; "  "  Here  we  venerate  our  fathers." 

On  an  elevated  platform,  in  the  midst  of  the  large  assembly,  was 
seated  the  President  of  the  day,  with  several  of  the  Vice-Presidents 
and  invited  guests  on  his  right  and  left.  The  blessing  was  invoked 
by  the  Rev.  Hubbard  Winslow,*  of  Boston. 

The  cloth  having  been  removed,  the  following  preliminary 
remarks  were  made  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Packard,  President 
of  the  day:  — 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  The  duty  has  devolved  upon  me  to 
offer  you,  in  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  a  few 
words  of  congratulation  and  of  welcome.  You  are  awai-e  that 
the  precise  date  of  the  incorporation  of  this  town  was  (according 
to  New  Style)  on  the  28th  of  May  last.     The  Committee  deemed 


APPENDIX.  149 

it  suitable,  however,  to  defer  the  celebration  to  the  15th  of  June, 
that  we  might  enjoy  the  propitious  skies  of  summer,  and  that 
old  Lancaster  might  present  herself  to,  her  children  upon  her 
natal  day  in  her  most  beautiful  robes  of  green.  And  when,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  during  the  century  now  justclOsed  in  the  history 
of  this  town,  has  a  brighter  or  a  more  auspicious  morning  dawned 
upon  us  than  this  ?  As  we  were  awakened  from  our  slumbers  by 
the  joyous  song  of  the  birds,  the  merry  pealing  of  the  bells,  and 
the  booming  of  the  cannon,  who  of  us  could  repress  the  t^r  of 
gratitude  and  the  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  that  benignant  Provi- 
dence, whose  gracious  smiles  have  enabled  the  Lancaster  of  to-day 
to  present  such  a  brilliant  contrast  to  the  Lancaster  of  two  hundred^ 
years  ago? 

It  is  an  interesting  feature  in  our  celebration,  that  we  have  the 
hearty  co-operation  of  the  neighboring  towns  whose  territory  was 
once  included  within  the  limits  of  this.  The  invitation  extended 
to  them  by  the  Committee  has  been  cordially  responded  to.  We 
welcome  the  large  and  respectable  delegations  now  present  from 
Harvard,  Bolton,  Leominster,  Sterling,  Boylston,  and  Clinton, 
whom  we  may  appropriately  call  children  of  Lancaster,  and  also 
from  our  -grand-children  Berlin  and  West  Boylston.  Sentiments 
have  been  prepared,  which,  I  trust,  will  call  out  the  representatives 
of  all  these  neighboring  towns. 

I  am  happy,  gentlemen  and  ladies,  to  recognize  in  this  great 
assembly  a  number  of  distinguished  persons,  who,  although  not 
natives  of  this  town,  have  acquired  a  strong  interest  in  its  welfare 
and  history,  by  a  residence  among  us  as  teachers  or  pupils,  or  in 
some  other  capacity.  I  hope  soon  to  have  the  honor  of  introduc- 
ing to  you  some  whose  names  have  been  identified  in  various 
departments  of  political  and  professional  life,  not  only  with  the 
best  interests  of  the  old  county  of  Worcester  and  the  old  Bay  State, 
but  of  our  National  Union.  Representatives  are  also  present  from 
some  of  our  historical  societies,  who  exhibit  their  devotion  to  the 
memories  of  the  past,  by  improving  the  opportunity,  ttiat  will  not 
often  occur  to  them  in  our  newly  settled  country,  of  reviving  the 
reminiscences  of  two  hundred  years.  • 


150  APPENDIX. 

Natives  of  Lancaster !  allow  me  the  privilege  of  welcoming 
you  to  the  joyous  scenes  of  this  day.  We  rejoice  to  see  such  a 
noble  company  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  this  ancient  town 
under  this  canopy  to-day.  You  have  looked  forward  to  this  occa- 
sion with  joyous  arfticipations,  and  now  we  are  permitted  to  gi-eet 
you.  You  have  come  to  us  from  various  and  Avidely  distant  por- 
tions of  our  extended  reiiublic.  We  welcome  you  to  the  scenes  of 
your  childhood,  —  to  your  native  hills,  —  to  the  gi'and  elm-trees 
under  which  you  once  sported,  —  to  the  sweetly  flowing  Nashua, 
upon  whose  banks  you  loved  to  wander  in  your  boyish  days ;  and 
those  familiar  objects,  the  memory  of  which  will  never  be  obliter- 
ated by  the  lapse  of  time  or  the  distance  that  may  separate  you 
from  them.  Your  presence  to-day  in  such  large  numbers,  not  only 
honors  your  native  town,  but  honors  also  yourselves.  It  is  a  pledge 
to  us,  that  tbe  bustle  and  business  of  life,  its  distracting  cares  and 
anxieties,  and  the  various  experience  through  which  you  have 
passed,  have  not  alienated  your  affections  from  the  scenes  of  your 
early  days.  You  can  adopt,  in  regard  to  your  native  town,  the 
language  of  the  poet : 

"  Where'er  I  roam,  whatever  realms  I  see, 
My  heart  untravelled  fondly  turns  to  thee." 

It  is  an  interesting  illustration  of  the  enterprise  of  the  old  New- 
England  towns,  that,  although  Lancaster  has  never  comprehended 
withiii'its  present  limits  a  population  of  seventeen  hundred  persons, 
her  sons  and  daughters  may  be  found  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
and  in  the  extreme  portions  of  the  country.  The  pen  of  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lancaster,  now  an  adopted  daughter  of  the  State  of  Florida, 
has  composed  a  worthy  poetical  tribute  of  affection,  which  we  shall 
soon  have  the  privilege  of  presenting'  to  you  as  a  part  of  these 
exercises. 

The  spot  on  which  this  pavilion  stands  has  been  the  theatre  of 
ome  of  the  interesting  .events  that  hsi\^  been  so  appropriately 
alluded  to  by  the  orator  of  the  day.  As  we  passed  along  in  the 
procession  from  the  church,  we  could  have  discerned  on  the  left 
hand   (had   not   the  railroad   intervened)    the  site  of  the  oldest 


APPENDIX. 


151 


burying-ground,  where  not  only  "  the  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet 
sleep/'  but  most  of  those  early  ministers  of  the  town  whose  vener- 
able names  we  saw  inscribed  in  wreaths  of  evergreen  on  the  walls 
of  the  sanctuary.  Still  nearer  the  road,  and  on  the  brow  of  the  hill 
on  which  the  present  burying-ground  is  located,  was  the  site  of 
the  first  meeting-house.  Still  farther  west,  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
road,  and  where  we  saw  a  flag  displayed,  was  the  site  of  the  house 
occupied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rowlandson,  and  which  was  burnt  by  the 
Indians  in  King  Philip's  war.  As  we  came  still  farther  along,  we 
passed  the  mansion  occupied  for  nearly  a  century  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Thayer,  and  his  predecessor  the  Rev.  Mr.  Harrington.  The  elm- 
trees  beneath  whose  shade  this  tent  has  been  erected  are  upwards  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  age.  They  were  the  ornament  of  the 
second  parsonage  built  in  Lancaster,  which  stood  within  a  few  feet 
of  us  until  within  the  i-ecollection  of  some  here  present.  The 
water  which  has  quenched  our  thirst  to-day  has  been  drawn  from 
the  same  well  from  which  the  venerable  Prentice  drank.  On  this 
spot,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Gardner  and  Whiting  were  both  slain,  —  the 
one  by  his  own  countrymen,  who  mistook  him  for  an  Indian ;  the 
other  in  dreadful  conflict  with  the  savages  themselves.  The  very 
ground  upon  which  we  now  stand,  therefore,  is  associated  with  the 
most  interesting  historical  recollections,  that  it  is  the  great  design 
of  these  services  to  commemorate. 

But  I  feel,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  after  the  protracted  services  in 
which  we  have  already 'participated,  and  especially  as  my  humble 
duty  is  simply  to  be  the  organ  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements 
in  introducing  others  to  your  notice,  that  it  ill  becomes  me  to  tres- 
l)ass  any  longer  upon  your  attention.  I,  therefore,  will  conclude 
by  offering  to  you,  in  behalf  of  the  Committee,  the  following  sen- 
timent, which  they  have  placed  in  my  hands :  — 

"Lancaster,  —  a  happy  mother  surrounded  by  noble  children. 
Her  old  heart  rejoices  in  their  prosperity,  while  the  memories  of 
two  hundred  years  come  over  her  of  the  struggles  she  endured 
and  the  perils  she  encountered  in  deHuiding  her  own  young  life,  in 
this  day's  greetings." 


152  APPENDIX. 

TOASTS. 

1.  The  First  Settlers  of  Lancaster;  — Hallowed  be  their  memories !  Where 
they  sowed  in  blood  and  tears,  we  reap  in  joy. 

2.  The  Early  Ministers  op  Lancaster.  They  have  toiled  nobly,  and  entered 
into  their  rest.  They  were  the  Elijahs  of  the  Past:  may  their  mantles  fall  on  the 
Elishas  of  the  Present ! 

3.  The  Rev.  Timothy  Harrington.  He  appropriately  noticed  the  close  of 
Lancaster's  first  century  :  his  descendants  are  now  with  us  to  honor  the  close  of 
the  second, 

4.  The  Rev.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  —  affectionately  remembered  and  deeply 
lamented. 

Remarks  of  the  Rev.  Edmund  H.  Sears,  of  Wayland :  — 

Mr.  President,  —  You  have  intimated  to  me  that  there  is  a  pro- 
priety in  my  responding  to  these  sentiments.  I  believe  I  am  the 
only  living  ex-minister  of  Lancaster ;  and  I  think  I  might  go  fur- 
ther, and  say  that  I  am  the  only  ex-minister  that  Lancaster  ever 
had,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the  ancient  parish  is  concerned.  The  only 
apparent  exception  that  I  can  recollect  is  that  of  Father  Rowland- 
son  ;  and  he  only  left  when  his  parish  had  ceased  to  exist,  and  deso- 
lation and  solitude  had  overspread  the  town.  But  I  shall  not  stand 
here  to  eulogize  the  old  ministers  of  Lancaster.  Their  monuments 
are  all  around  you,  in  the  state  of  society,  in  the  institutions,  social, 
educational,  and  religious,  which  have  come  down  to  you  shaped 
by  their  hands,  and  diffusing  their  blessed  influences  through  this 
beautiful  valley.  I  have  studied  the  characters  and  the  history  of 
these  good  and  venerable  men,  and  have  endeavored  in  some 
measure  to  imbibe  their  spirit  and  principles.  Rowlandson,  Whit- 
ing, Gardner,  Prentice,  Harrington,  and  Thayer,  —  it  hardly 
becomes  me  to  utter  their  praises  after  the  fuU  delineation  of  their 
characters  which  was  given  us  by  the  orator  this  morning.  Of 
this  line  of  pastors,  the  only  one,  of  course,  whom  I  ever  saw  was 
Dr.  Thayer;  and  I  carry  in  my  memory  an  impression  of  his 
venerable  form  and  .benignant  countenance.  Of  the  more  ancient 
ones,  though  they  wrote  little  which  has  come  down  to  us,  yet  they 
were  such  men  of  mark  that  they  appear  to  us  through  the  haze  of 
the  past  with  enough  of  distinctness  and  individuality.     I  suppose 


APPP]XDIX. 


153 


our  reverence  for  their  memory  does  not  require  of  us  to  adopt  all 
their  views  and  notions,  without  exercising  a  little  discrimination. 
Father  Prentice  was  a  genuine  Puritan ;  and  I  seem  to  see  him  in 
all  his  severity  of  look,  taste,  and  manners.     But  I  think  that  none 
of  us  would  care  to  he  subjected  to  a  church-discipline  quite  so 
stringent  as  his.     "Why,  sir,  he  excommunicated  a  member  of  his 
church  for  criticizing  one  of  his  sermons.     I  am  afraid,  if  ministers 
now  should  adopt  such  a  rule  of  discipline  as  that,  they  would  find, 
ere  long,  that  they  had  not  many  church-members  left  to  be  excom- 
municated.    Father  Harrington,  we  are  told,  had  softened  a  little 
the  old  theology  and  manners.    I  believe  he  was  one  of  the  best  men 
that  ever  lived,  and  I  cannot  but  admire  his  Christian  suavity  and 
benevolence.     And  yet  it  is  somewhere  stated  in  the  recox'ds,  that 
he  claimed  for  himself  to  be  equal  to  one  half  of  his  church.     Yes, 
a  little  more  than  equal;    for,  when  they  had  passed  a  vote,  he 
claimed  the  right  to  veto  it,  and  set  it  aside ;  and  that  would  make 
him  a  majority  of  the  whole!      I  suppose,  sir,  you  would   not 
consider  that  very  good  Congregationalism.     Then,  again,  some  of 
these  good  old  ministers  had  a  way  of  showing  their  reverence  for 
the  sabbath,  which  we  should  hardly  consider  in  these  days  entirely 
practical.     I  do  not  find  how  it  was  with  the  ministers  of  Lancaster, 
but  a  contemporary  of  Father  Harrington,  who  preached  in  a  neigh- 
boring town,  and  was  pastor  of  the  society  to  which  it  is  my  privi- 
lege now  to  minister,  had  notions  on   this  subject  which  I  think 
would  rather  more  than   satisfy  the  law  of  the   Old  Testament. 
Children  who  were  born  on  Sunday  he  refused  to  baptize,  for  he 
said  they  broke  the  sabbath  at  their  very  birth.     But  it  shows  how 
much  personal  feeling  has  to  do  in  shaping  our  opinions,  that  after- 
wards, when  he  had  twin-children  himself  that  were  born  on  Sun- 
day, he  found  that  it  altered  the  case  entirely ;  and  these  and  all 
past  delinquents  then  had  the  privilege  of  the  ordinance.     "Well, 
sir,  we  amuse  ourselves  with  the  peculiar  notions  of  these  good  men, 
just  as  our  children,  I  suppose,  will  amuse  themselves  with  ours. 
But,  when  we  come  to  the  real  substance  and  metal  of  which  these 
men  were  made  ;  when  I  contemplate  their  devotion  to  the  supreme 
and  eternal  law,  before  which  they  bowed  in  reverence,  let  kings 

20 


154  APPENDIX. 

and  cabinets  go  as  they  would ;  when  I  see  the  nearness  of  their 
approach  to  the  dazzling  throne  of  Jehovah,  so  that  all  outward 
distinctions  vanished  into  nothing,  that  God  might  fill  their  whole 
vision,  and  become  all  in  all  r  when  I  see  their  serene  faith  in  the 
midst  of  dangers  such  as  we  never  knew,  and  their  majestic  patience 
under  trials  such  as  we  never  felt,  —  I  forget  all  their  peculiarities, 
and  bow  before  their  lofty  and  magnanimous  virtues. 

I  find  it  stated  by  the  historian  of  Lancaster,  that,  among  the 
regulations  which  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  adopted,  there  was 
one  which  excluded  all  heretics  from  settling  among  them.  Heresy, 
you  know,  means  schism,  division ;  and  I  will  not  undertake  to  say 
how  much  that  regulation  has  had  to  do  with  the  harmonizing 
influences  that  have  always  prevailed  here.  But,  coming  up  hither 
on  such  a  sweet  June  morning  as  we  did  to-day,  and  standing  here 
with  such  prospects  lying  around  us,  I  could  not  help  thinking  there 
were  other  influences  which  had  done  something  in  forming  the 
characters  of  the  people  here  ;  something  in  producing  that  warm 
and  genial  sunshine  of  the  heart  for  which  they  have  always  been 
known.  I  believe  that  the  scenery  with  which  our  minds  become 
familiar  has  not  a  little  to  do  in  our  education ;  and  here  nature,  in 
her  loveliest  moods  and  sweetest  aspects,  is  ever  passing  into  your 
souls.  I  confess  for  myself,  though  not  a  native  of  Lancaster,  that 
its  quiet  scenery  has  become  so  wrought  and  pictured  in  my 
memory,  that  I  carry  it  along  with  me  in  life's  journey,  and  live  it 
over  and  over  in  hours  of  soothing  meditation ;  and  it  has  the  same 
influence  with  me  as  the  reading  of  good  books  or  the  hearing  of 
good  sermons.  Not  to  transgress  the  rule  you  have  prescribed,  I 
will  close  with  giving  you  this  sentiment :  — 

"  The  People  of  Lancaster,  —  May  their  minds  and  hearts 
ever  reflect  the  genial  beauty  and  glory  of  the  scenery  amid  which 
they  live ! " 


The  Eev.  Christopher  T.  Thayer,  of  Beverly,  also  responded 
as  follows :  — 

Mr.  President   and  Friends,  —  I  say  friends,  because  we  are 
gathered  now  as  a  great  family,  all  the  members  of  which  are  —  by 


APPENDIX.  155 

the  impressive  circumstances  under  whicli  we  are  assembled ;  by  the 
very  genius  of  the  place ;  by  ancestral  memories ;  by  early  and  ten- 
der associations ;  by  thoughts  of  present  and  of  buried  joys ;  by 
cordial  greetings  of  old  companions,  and  revisiting  the  spot  hallowed 
by  the  repose  of  kindred  dust ;  by  common  recollections,  pleasures, 
griefs,  hopes  —  brought  into  near  and  friendly  relations.  After  the 
very  interesting  and  felicitous  response  just  made  to  the  notices 
which  have  been  taken  of  the  former  ministers,  I  feel  that  for  me 
to  attempt  to  add  any  thin^  to  that  would  be  as  unnecessary  as  it 
would  be  delicate  from  my  filial  connection  with  one  of  them.  This, 
however,  I  cannot  forbear  saying,  from  a  full  heart,  that  the  honor 
which  has  this  day  been  paid  to  a  name  which  will  ever  be  among 
the  nearest  and  dearest  to  me  has  touched  my  deepest  sensibility, 
and  receives  my  most  grateful  acknowledgment. 

In  the  religious  history  of  this  town,  its  inhabitants,  and  all  who 
ai"e  connected  with  it,  may  take  a  pride  as  well  as  gratification.  It 
has  been  marked  by  reverence  for  r.eligion  and  her  institutions, 
purity  and  elevation  of  character,  an  enlightened  and  liberal  spirit, 
and  uncommon  harmony  of  sentiment  and  feeling.  Among  my 
pleasantest  early  impressions  is  that  of  nearly  the  entire  town, 
which  then  contained  but  one  religious  society,  worshipping  under 
yonder  central  dome,  in  which  seemed  fitly  embodied  by  the  hand 
of  man  the  spirit  of  natural  and  moral  beauty  hovering  over  this 
charming  vale.  And  though,  with  the  changes  in  opinion  that 
have  taken  place,  a  change  may  have  come  over  this  scene,  yet  I 
trust  that  the  true  harmony  which  is  founded  on  sacred  respect  for 
the  rights  of  conscience  and  humanity,  to  a  good  extent  prevails 
and  will  ever  reign  here. 

The  civil  history  of  this  ancient  town  has  been  alike  creditable. 
It  has  been  distinguished  by  regard  for  order,  by  respectable  main- 
tenance of  its  local  institutions,  and  by  enlarged  patriotism.  I 
remember  well  how  my  youthful  fancy  kindled  at  the  narratives 
I  heard  from  the  lips  of  some  who  had  served  in  the  old  French 
wars,  and  of  others  of  its  citizens  who  had  been  soldiers  in  the  war 
of  our  Revolution.  So  freely  did  the  people  contribute  to  carry  on 
that  great  conflict,  that  when,  after  repeated  and  heavy  demands 


156  APPENDIX. 

had  been  made  on  their  resources,  a  new  requisition  for  men  and 
money  came  from  the  government,  and  the  Whig  leaders  began  to 
falter,  a  shrewd  Tory  stepped  in,  and  turned  the  tables  upon  them 
by  moving  and  carrying  triumphantly  a  vote  of  all  the  supplies 
required.  In  the  last  war  (may  it  ever  be  the  last !)  with  our 
mother-country,  what  a  noble  band  was  that,  —  familiarly  called  the 
Silver-greys,  composed  of  such  as  had  passed  the  legal  term  of 
service,  —  which  was  here  enrolled  and  finely  disciplined,  and  held 
itself  in  constant  readiness  to  go  forth  to  the  patriot's  final  duty,  to 
conflict  and  death  !  Many  present  will,  with  me,  vividly  remember 
it,  —  that  venerable  company  of  the  silver-headed  and  grey-haired, 
of  the  ancient  and  honorable,  —  as  it  marched  in  our  streets,  and 
appeared  on  the  field  of  review,  —  comprising,  as  it  did,  a  large 
proportion  of  the  leading  citizens,  and  commanded  by  that  true 
officer  and  Christian  gentleman.  Major  Hiller,  who  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  Washington  in  the  Revolutionary  contest,  and  shared 
extensively  his  confidence ;  as  a  mark  of  which  he  was  appointed 
first  Collector,  under  the  Federal  Constitution,  of  the  port  of  Salem 
and  Beverly. 

Not  only  patriotism  and  religion,  but  the  interests  of  good 
learning,  have  here,  from  the  first,  found  friends  and  promoters. 
The  learned  professions  have  been  worthily  represented.  A  goodly 
number  of  the  sons  of  Lancaster  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a 
liberal  education.  Her  daughters  have  not  been  without  the  mingled 
adornings  of  intelligence  and  refinement,  while  some  of  th'em  have 
helped  to  enrich  and  advance  our  country's  literature ;  and  two  of 
them,  as  poetesses,  have  contributed  liberally  of  their  laurel  wreaths 
to  the  delights  of  this  occasion.  They  have  shown,  that,  if  denied 
a  collegiate  diploma,  they  could,  by  their  own  talents  and  applica- 
tion, procure  for  themselves  a  good  degree.  The  common  schools, 
a  chief  estate  in  our  i-epublican  realm,  have  been  fostered  with  gi'eat 
care,  and  have  sustained  a  high  rank.  Of  those  who  have  here 
been  teachers  of  youth,  I  might  mention  the  names  of  Joseph 
Warren,  the  illustrious  martyr  of  Bunker  Hill;  William  EUery 
Channing ;  Jared  Sparks ;  and  a  host  of  others,  some  of  whom  we 
gladly  recognize  in  this  assembly,  who  have  been  eminent  in  various 


APPENDIX.  157 

walks  of  life.  And  there  were  pupils  not  unworthy  of  such  teach- 
ers. Just  to  allude  to  a  few  that  readily  occur  to  me,  as  having 
been  my  early  associates  and  friends,  —  there  were  Rufus  Dawes, 
whose  poetic  muse  found  a  fitting  theme  in  the  valley  of  the 
Nashua,  where  it  was  nursed,  and  which  it  loved  so  well ;  Horatio 
Greenough,  a  pride  of  our  land,  and  of  world-wide  fame,  whose 
genius  was  scarcely  less  manifest  when  in  boyhood  he  carved  in 
snow  and  wood,  than  afterward,  when  he  immortalized  himself  in 
marble ;  Henry  R.  Cleveland,  who,  though  departing  all  too  soon 
for  the  world  if  not  for  himself,  has  left  a  delightful  moral  image 
for  us  to  cherish,  and  some  of  the  most  exquisite  literary  produc- 
tions ;  Frederick  Wilder,  beai-ing  in  person  and  mind  the  stamp  of 
nature's  nobility,  than  whom  Harvard  University  rarely  if  ever 
sent  forth  a  more  promising  son,  and  whose  early  death  learning, 
virtue,  and  friendship  alike  and  deeply  deplored. 

If  the  train  of  my  remarks  should  seem  to  have  partaken  too 
much  of  the  personal  and  local,  something  must  be  pardoned  to  the 
spirit  of  the  place  and  the  time,  especially  to  the  sentiment  which 
clings  to  the  spot  where  we  first  drew  our  breath,  and  which  is 
invested  with  the  ever-fresh  hues  of  life's  bright  and  rosy  morn ; 
and  under  the  magnetic  power  of  which  we  are  drawn  irresistibly 
back  to  the  spring-time  of  our  being,  and  bathe  anew  in  the  dews  of 
our  youth.     As  Sheridan  Knowles  beautifully  says : 

"  Howe'er  it  changes  with  us  on  life's  road, 
The  sunny  start  all  intervals  breaks  through, 
And  warms  us  with  the  olden  mood  again." 

Or  as  Cowper,  with  more  graphical  description,  has  said : 

"  We  love  the  play -place  of  our  early  days; 
The  scene  is  touching;  and  the  heart  is  stone 
That  feels  not  at  that  sight,  and  feels  at  none. 
The  wall  on  which  wo  tried  our  graving  skill, 
The  very  name  we  carved  subsisting  still ; 
The  bench  on  which  we  sat  while  deep  employed. 
Though  mangled,  hacked,  and  licwed,  not  yet  destroyed ; 
The  little  ones,  unbuttoned,  glowing  hot, 
Playing  our  games,  and  on  the  very  spot, 
As  happy  as  we  once." 


158  APPENDIX. 

There  is  indeed  an  attachment  to  early  scenes,  and  the  home 
which  gave  us  birth,  which,  whatever  may  be  the  distance  of  space 
or  time  from  which  we  come  back  to  them,  makes  us  feel  ready,  as 
I  confess  I  do  now,  to  fall  down  and  embrace  the  very  soil  on  which 
we  tread.  Not  a  few  that  I  see  before  me  will,  I  know,  participate 
in  this  feeling.  All  present,  will,  I  am  sure,  concur  in  the  senti- 
ment, the  fulfilment  of  which,  though  we  shall  not  be  here  at  the 
end  of  another  hundred  years  to  witness,  it  does  our  hearts  good  to 
anticipate ;  and  in  which  I  include,  with  the  parent,  all  her  offspring 
towns,  so  happily  gathered  by  their  representatives  at  this  hospi- 
table and  wide-spread  board :  — 

"■  The  History  op  Lancaster's  past  two  Centuries  affords 
brisrht  omens  for  that  on  which  she  now  enters." 


5.  Our  eldest  Daughter,  Harvard  ;  — we  feel  ia  her  a  vital  interest  as  she 
lies  close  to  the  stream  that  flows  through  our  heart.  But  she  set  the  example  of 
clipping  our  wings,  so  that,  if  we  are  not  a  shire,  we  are  a  sheared  town. 

This  toast  was  responded  to  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alonzo  Hill,  of 
Worcester,  who  is  a  native  of  that  place. 

Dr.  Hill  said  that  he  had  come  from,  the  small  village  of  Quin- 
sigamund,  at  the  foot  of  the  Bogachoag  in  the  Nipmuc  country,  to 
greet  his  friends,  the  Nashaways.  But,  'Mr.  President,  ladies,  and 
gentlemen,  since  I  have  arrived  here,  I  have  found  myself  standing 
on  my  OAvn  soil,  in  the  midst  of  my  kindred  and  townsfolks,  who 
desire  me  to  say  a  word  for  old  Harvard.  This  I  most  cheerfully 
do ;  for  I  never  hear  her  named,  or  look  upon  her  green  hills,  but 
my  heart  beats  a  little  quicker,  and  my  tongue  is  unloosed. 

In  the  sentiment  which  has  been  read,  you  have  been  pleased  to 
speak  of  her  as  your  oldest  daughter.  It  is  indeed  true ;  she  is 
your  oldest  daughter,  —  the  first  of  your  family  whom  you  set  up  ; 
and  we  thank  you  for  the  rich  and  noble  dower  which  you  bestowed, 
when  you  sent  her  from  her  ancient  home.  For,  I  declare  to  you, 
sir,  I  know  of  no  spot  on  this  earth  fairer,  or  that  overlooks  a  more 


APPENDIX.  159 

charming'  landscape,  than  yonder  eminence,  which  once  was  yours. 
I  stand  upon  it  on  a  beautiful  summer's  morning  like  this ;  and 
where  can  the  eye  enjoy  a  wider  sweep  or  a  more  entrancing  spec- 
tacle? Turning  west,  it  looks  down  upon  these  rich  intervals, 
waving  in  the  summer's  breeze,  —  studded  with  their  ancient  elms, 
clustering  villages,  and  spires  of  churches,  and  traced  with  the  wind- 
ing Avaters  of  the  Nashua.  Then  rising  and  passing  over  a  succes- 
sion of  pleasant  farmhouses,  it  is  arrested  by  the  woody  summit 
of  our  own  "Wachusett ;  while,  turning  a  little  to  the  north,  it  rests 
upon  the  rocky  peaks  of  the  Grand  Monadnock  and  the  Green 
Mountains.  We  thank  you  for  your  ample  dowry,  when  you  sent 
us  from  the  shelter  of  your  wing. 

Since  we  have  left  you,  Mr.  President,  we  have  done  but  little  to 
gain  for  us  a  name  in  the  world.  We  are  an  agricultural  peojile, 
and  have  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  our  ways ;  and  yet  we  have 
not  been  without  a  shai-e  of  the  men  whom  we  love  to  call  to 
remembrance.  There  is  a  long  line  of  clergymen  who  preached 
to  the  town,  —  a  body  of  men  at  least  as  respectable  as  you  will 
find  anywhere,  —  some  of  them  worthy  of  an  everlasting  memorial 
in  the  hearts  of  this  people.  There  is  Seccomb,  the  first  minister, 
settled  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  ago,  —  a  man  of  education 
and  humor,  —  who  wrote  a  witty  poem  famous  in  its  day, —  and 
who,  being  told  by  his  father-in-law  that  he  would  furnish  as  large 
a  house  as  he  would  build,  reared  that  palace  which  still  stands 
with  its  long  avenues  of  elms  overlooking  our  beautiful  little  lake, 
the  ornament  of  the  town.  There  is  Wheeler,  afterwards  Register 
of  Probate  for  the  County,  whose  numerous  and  highly  respectable 
descendants  are  spread  over  its  central  towns.  There  is  Johnson, 
the  youthful  patriot,  who,  when  the  sounds  of  battle  reached  him 
from  the  plains  of  Lexington,  seized  his  musket,  and  marched  to 
Cambridge;  and  there  on  its  Common,  stil^fresh  with  the  blood  of 
the  slain,  he  stood,  as  the  old  people  remembe^-,  with  his  hat  hung 
upon  his  bayonet,  and  offered  a  prayer  in  presence  of  the  Continen- 
tal Army  which  thrilled  all  hearts,  and  then  laid  down  his  young 
life,  —  the  early  victim  of  disease,  —  one  of  the  eariiest  oiiiM-ings 
on  the  altar  of  freedom.     And  there  were  Grosvoner,  Emerson, 


100  APPENDIX. 

and  Bemis,  —  names  all  f'arailiai"  and  some  grown  famous  through 
their  descendants. 

Of  civilians  we  cannot  boast.  We  have  had  no  man  of  mark, — 
of  civil  or  political  eminence.  But  we  have  had  our  citizens,  who, 
in  their  day  and  place,  did  good  service  to  the  Commonwealth. 
We  had  our  man  at  the  fight  of  Lovel's  Pond,  so  celebrated 
in  early  New-England  ballads,  and  at  the  massacre  of  Fort  William 
Henry,  so  disastrous  to  New-England's  sons.  We  had  our  man 
in  the  train  of  Arnold,  in  his  desperate  march  through  the 
wilderness  to  Canada.  We  had  our  man  with  Wolfe  on  that 
night  when  he  scaled  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  —  who  stood  by 
his  side  in  the  next  day's  battle,  and  remembered  the  serene 
countenance,  and  the  long  locks  which  hung  upon  his  shoulders,  of 
which  tradition  has  so  often  spoken.  We  had  our  man  to  guard 
the  prison  of  Andre  and  the  tent  of  Washington,  And  we  had 
our  scores  of  men  in  each  division  of  the  army,  and  in  almost  every 
battle,  of  the  Revolution. 

But,  sir,  we  must  not  indulge  in  these  reminiscences.  They  are 
of  the  past ;  but  we  may  be  pardoned  in  dwelling  upon  them  for  a 
few  moments,  for  the  present  time  has  not  been  favorable  to  us. 
We  have  but  lightly  shared  in  the  prosperity  which  has  enriched 
our  neighbors  around.  We  have  but  little  to  tempt  the  young 
people  to  remain  on  the  old  homestead.  Beautiful  as  our  village 
is,  we  have  found  it  too  narrow  for  our  wishes ;  and  we  have  gone 
out  into  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  have  obtained  a  home  in 
almost  every  city  of  the  Union.  But,  wherever  we  have  gone,  we 
have  retained  pleasing  recollections  of  our  native  village  :  its  quiet 
fields  and  healthful  breezes  give  a  fresh  impulse  to  our  blood, 
whenever  we  think  of  them.  We  love  its  Green,  where  the  church 
and  the  school-house  have  for  a  century  stood.  We  venerate  the 
graves  where  the  fathers  lie.  We  delight  to  honoi',  with  her  chil- 
dren, the  common  parent  of  us  all.  I  give  you,  therefore,  as  a 
sentiment,  — 

"  The  Family  Elm,  —  still  green  and  fresh,  and  affording  a 
hospitable  shade,  while  its  shoots  have  been  transplanted  into 
every  soil." 


APPENDIX.  161 

6.  OtTK  SECOND  Daughter,  ever  attached  to  our  eldest,  quickly  followed  her  ex- 
ample, and  bolted.     As  success  has  attended  her,  wc  say  Bolt-on. 

The  following  remarks  were  made  by  the  Rev.  Richard  S. 
Edes,  in  response  to  the  toast  complimentary  to  Bolton:  — 

It  is  not  right  or  proper,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  the  second  daugh- 
ter of  this  venerable  mother  of  several  children  should  be  indiffer- 
ent to  the  maternal  joy.  Having,  with  her  sisters,  older  and 
younger,  once  more  participated  in  the  hospitalities  and  memories 
of  the  old  home,  and  with  them  bolted,  Yankee  fashion,  the  excel- 
lent repast  provided  by  the  old  lady's  affection,  and  enjoyed,  too, 
"  the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul,"  with  which  it  has  been 
accompanied,  she  feels  that  she  should  not  repress  the  kindly  and 
filial  sentiments  which  she  experiences,  or  put  the  holt  on  their 
expression.  While,  with  mingled  emotions,  she  lingers,  with  her 
parent,  on  the  sometimes  tender,  sometimes  stirring  memories  and 
associations  of  the  past,  she  would  heartily  congratulate  her  mother 
Lancaster  on  her  vigorous  and  healthful  condition ;  and  that,  not- 
withstanding the  cares  she  has  had  with  so  large  a  family,  and  all 
the  trials  and  hardships  she  has  gone  through,  she  is  for  from  show- 
ing any  sign  of  decrepitude  and  old  age. 

Though  the  daughters  no  longer  find  their  home  beneath  the 
parental  roof,  but,  like  genuine,  enterprising  Yankee  girls  as  they 
are,  have  gone  forth,  relying  on  themselves,  but  trusting,  too,  in  a 
Higher  Power,  each  one  to  seek,  ay,  and  make  her  own  fortune, 
they  are  still  far  from  being  coldly  alienated  from  her  whose  foster- 
ing hand  cherished  their  early  years.  By  means  of  "  the  plough, 
the  loom,  and  the  anvil,"  they  still  minister,  as  dutiful  children 
should,  to  her  comfort,  and,  clustering  around  her,  feel  a  common 
interest  in  all  that  conduces  to  her  happiness  and  jjrosperity. 
Though  Lancaster  is,  most  assuredly,  looked  doicn  upon  liy  most  of 
her  children,  it  is,  I  am  confident,  with  feelings  very  different  from 
those  of  contempt  or  disregard.  Of  the  living  streams  of  health  and 
plenty  which  circulate  through  their  own  hearts  they  pour  largely 
into  her  bosom  ;  and,  reverentially  rising  up  around  her,  and  stand- 
ing while  she  sits,  each  daughter  pronounces  the  mother  blessed. 

21 


162  APPENDIX. 

Ever  fresh  from  the  renewing  hand  of  God,  preserving  largely 
something  of  the  beautiful  simplicity  of  more  primitive  times,  un- 
contaminated  by  evil  customs  which  a  false  refinement  and  luxury 
ai-e  apt  to  bring  in,  ever  alive  with  all  genial  sympathies,  and  for- 
ward in  the  career  of  improvement,  may  our  dear  mother  live  a 
thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  after  that ;  having  all  along, 
in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  a  history  on  which  she  may  dwell  with 
honest  pride !  And  never,  while  these  graceful  elms  wave  in  the 
summer  breeze,  or  toss  their  naked  arms  to  the  blasts  of  winter, 
while  the  Nashua  flows,  and  Wattoquottoc  and  Wachusett  stand 
sentinels  around,  may  the  family  ties  of  interest  and  aiFection  be 
sundered ;  never  may  the  happy  copartnership  of  mother  and 
daughters  cease,  while  the  continent  stands,  or  the  world  revolves ! 


7.  Leominster  ;  — a  favored  branch  of  our  family  —  ever  right  at  heart ;  afiford- 
ing  strong  evidence  in  favor  of  Phrenology,  as  she  has  flourished  abundantly  by 
attending  to  Combe's  Philosophy. 

The  Hon.  David  Wilder,  of  Leominster,  responded :  — 

Mr.  President,  —  We  have  come  down  here  to-day  to  unite 
with  the  other  branches  of  a  numerous  and  happy  family,  in  offer- 
ing to  the  kind  "  Mother  of  us  all "  our  hearty  congratulations,  on 
account  of  the  great  age  to  which  she  has  attained,  and  the  good 
health,  prosperity,  and  happiness  which  she  continues  to  enjoy. 

Those  of  us  who  live  on  what  was  the  Northern  half  of  the 
"  New  Grant,"  now  the  town  referred  to  in  the  complimentary 
toast  which  has  just  been  read,  beg  leave  to  tender  to  her  our 
sincere  thanks  for  the  many  favors  which  she  has'  conferred  upon 
us  from  our  youthful  days  to  the  present  time.  And  we  rejoice 
that,  during  the  whole  time,  there  has  never  been  any  "  falling  out 
by  the  way,"  —  never  any  unkind  feelings  between  the  parent 
and  the  third  daughter.  We  feel  truly  grateful  to  her  for  that  ar- 
rangement commenced  in  1701,  under  which  our  lands  were  honor- 
ably purchased  of  the  original  occupants,  —  honestly  paid  for,  — 
and  as  good  a  title  thereto  obtained  as  it  was  in  the  power  of  those 


APPENDIX.  163 

occupants  to  give.  That  whole  arrangement  was  wise  and  judi- 
cious, and  contributed  very  materially  to  the  peace  and  success  of 
the  first  settlers  and  their  successors.  But  few  of  the  original 
proprietors  went  themselves  to  reside  there ;  but  they  sent  their  chil- 
dren by  the  half  dozen  or  more  from  some  of  their  large  families  ; 
and  for  the  most  part  they  were  men  of  strong  minds,  industri- 
ous habits,  and  well  fitted  to  make  a  good  cause  prosper.  They 
were,  moreovei",  conscientious  and  religious  men,  and  early  adopted 
measures  for  the  erection  of  a  meeting-house,  and  the  settlement 
of  a  "  godly  minister."  In  a  little  more  than  three  years  after  the 
town  was  incoi-porated,  Mr.  John  Rogers,  a  lineal  descendant  from 
the  martyr  of  that  name,  was  ordained  as  the  pastor  of  the  church. 
The  solemn  charge  on  that  occasion  was  given  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Prentice,  then  the  aged  minister  of  Lancaster.  And  if  the  inhab- 
itants of  Leominster  have  been  even  generally  "  right  at  heart," 
it  may  have  been  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  have  never  been  but 
few  months,  comparatively,  without  a  regularly  ordained  minister 
to  show  them  "  the  way." 

For  many  years  they  were  mostly  agriculturists,  and  could  not 
devote  much  of  their  time  to  reading.  The  works  of  Gall  and 
Spurzheim  were  not  to  be  found  in  their  libraries.  They  took 
pretty  good  care  of  their  own  heads,  but  did  not  trouble  themselves 
much  with  regard  to  any  peculiar  "  bumps,"  or  other  things,  that 
might  be  on  the  heads  of  their  neighbors.  Previously  to  1770,  they 
knew  nothing  of  phrenology.  But  about  that  time  Obadiah  from 
among  the  Hills  (whether  he  was  a  prophet  or  not,  I  cannot  tell) 
introduced  "  Combe's  Philosophy"  In  other  words,  he,  and  some 
others  who  had  come  fi'om  old  Newbury,  commenced  the  making 
of  combs.  There  are  now  about  four  hundred  hands  employed  in 
the  business.  It  has  been  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  town,  and  of 
profit  to  many  of  those  engaged  in  it.  And  among  the  successful 
is  one  of  Lancaster's  own  native  sons,  a  lineal  descendant  from  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Carter,  the  first  minister  of  the  good  old  town  of  Woburn. 

But  the  inhabitants  of  Leominster  have  not  confined  themselves 
wholly  to  '■^Combe's  "  work.  Fourdrinier  has  attracted  their  atten- 
tion.    And,  even  while  I  have  been  speaking,  there  has  probably 


1 64  APPENDIX. 

been  turned  off  in  Crehore's  mill  a  sufficient  quantity  of  paper  for 
each  individual  in  this  vast  assembly  to  write  a  letter  on  to  his 
friend. 

Music,  too,  has  occupied  their  attention;  and  with  so  great 
facility  are  the  different  parts  of  certain  musical  instruments  manu- 
factured there,  that  in  a  very  short  time  every  lady  in  town  might 
be  supplied. 

It  does  not,  however,  become  me  to  occupy  much  of  your  time, 
otherwise  I  could  refer  to  many  acts  of  kindness  that  have  existed 
between  the  parent  and  the  child.     But  I  forbear. 

In  return  for  the  highly  complimentary  toast  that  has  been  given, 
I  beg  leave  to  offer  the  following  :  — 

"The  Ancient  Tovtn  of  Lancaster.  Her  territory  may 
be  set  off  on  the  east  and  on  the  west,  —  on  the  north  and  on  the 
south.  But  so  long  as  the  '  Old  Common,  —  the  Neck  and  the 
North  Village,  —  Quassaponiken  and  "Walnut  Swamp,  —  George 
Hill  and  New  Boston'  remain,  so  long  she  will  continue  to  be 
*  Old  Lancaster^  respected  and  beloved  hy  all  the  descendants  of  her 
third  daughter." 


8.  Chocksett,  —  the  homely  maiden-name  of  one  fair  daughter.  Her  change  of 
name  was  desirable,  and  every  thing  now  within  her  limits  bears  evidence  of  Sterling 
worth. 

The  Rev.  Moses  G.  Thomas,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  rephed 
as  follows :  — 

Mr.  President,  —  The  very  fact  which  you  have  named,"  that  I 
am  a  native  of  Sterling,  may  lead  you  to  repent  of  calling  me  out 
on  this  occasion ;  for  natives  and  salvages  were,  with  our  fathers, 
synonymous  terms.  Besides,  I  am  not  a  hundred  years  old.  I  have 
no  centennial  experiences.  If,  sir,  you  will  let  me  be  a  "  looker-on 
in  Venice  "  this  time,  and  take  the  trouble  to  look  me  up  on  your 
next  centennial  anniversary,  I  may  perhaps  do  as  well  as  others. 

Yet  there  are  reasons  which  ought  to  give  me  a  peculiar  interest 
in   your   celebration.     The   blood   of  two  of  the   ancient   names 


APPENDIX.  165 

recorded  on  the  walls  of  your  church  to-day,  together  with  that  of 
the  first  minister  of  Sterling,  now  flows  in  the  veins  of  my  family. 
A  daughter  of  your  venerable  Prentice  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Mellen,  the  first  minister  of  Sterlmg ;  and  from  that  union,  in 
the  second  generation,  sprang  my  "  better  half,"  as  we  are  taught 
to  say ;  and  the  blood  of  your  second  minister,  the  honored  Whit- 
ing, through  my  mother,  now  flows  in  my  own  veins. 

But,  Mr.  President,  you  spoke  of  Sterling  as  a  daughter  of  Lan- 
caster. I  am  disposed  to  demur  to  the  appellation.  Sterling  has 
ever  seemed  to  me  more  like  an  overgrown  and  somewhat  rebellious 
son  ;  and  was  it  not  owing  to  this  spirit  that  she  became  a  separate 
town  ?  The  good  people  of  Chocksett  had  long  felt  that  they  were 
too  heavily  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  many  bridges  over  your 
beautiful  rivers,  and  the  paupers  belonging  to  this  moi'e  ancient  part 
of  the  settlement,  and  that  at  the  same  time  they  had  received  but  a 
small  share  in  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  oflice.  In  the  neigh- 
boi'hood  of  1776,  you  know,  sir,  that  taxation  without  representation 
was  not  much  in  favor.  Under  these  circumstances,  on  the  recur- 
rence of  a  town-meeting,  the  people  of  Chocksett  summoned  to  the 
ballot-box  all  who  could  legally  vote,  and  appropriated  to  them- 
selves the  lion's  share.  They  took  to  themselves  all  the  othces, 
emoluments,  and  honors  of  the  town.  They  removed  all  the  public 
offices  and  records  far  up  under  the  shadow  of  Wachusett.  They 
summoned  future  town-meetings  there,  and  Lancaster  began  to  find 
she  wasn't  anywhere.  She  accordingly  concluded,  like  one  of  old, 
to  "  let  the  people  go ; "  and  Sterling  was  incorporated  in  April, 
178L 

The  prime  minister,  I  mean,  Mr.  President,  the  first  Christian 
teacher,  in  Sterling,  seems  to  have  shared  the  independent  spirit  of 
the  people.  He  was  one  to  whom  the  often-quoted  line  of  Horace 
was  peculiarly  applicable, — 

«« Justum  ct  tcnacem  propositi  virum." 

Nothing  could  tui'n  him  from  his  sense  of  Justice  or  his  purpose, 
and  his  spirit  entered  largely  into  the  eai'ly  ecclesiastical  history 
of  the  town. 


106  Al'l'KNDIX. 

The  good  people  of  Bolton,  one  of  the  offshoots  of  Lancaster, 
had  passed  through  a  long  controversy  with  their  minister,  which 
councils  had  failed  to  adjust.  The  parish  had  finally  taken  the  case 
into  their  own  hands,  as  beyond  help  from  councils,  and  thrown 
their  minister  overboard,  without  "  benefit  of  clergy."  The  neigh- 
boring clergy,  regarding  this  as  a  high-handed  offence  on  the 
part  of  the  laity,  assembled  a  large  and  respectable  council,  and 
laid  the  entire  church  of  Bolton  under  a  ban  of  excommunication, 
until  confession  and  repentance.  In  this  state  of  affairs,  six  of  the 
excommunicated  brethren,  resolving  to  test  their  right  to  Christian 
ordinances,  presented  themselves  at  the  communion-table  in  Ster- 
ling, under  the  ministration  of  Mr.  Mellen.  Observing  their 
presence,  he  refused  to  administer  the  rite  until  they  should  with- 
draw. The  question  was  now  fairly  open  between  laity  and  clergy, 
and  Mr.  Mellen's  own  church  voted  that  the  Bolton  excommunicates 
should  not  withdraw.  The  contest  grew  high,  even  over  the  sacred 
memorials  of  Jesus.  At  length,  the  good  minister,  wishing  to  avoid 
actual  violence,  and  perhaps  remembering  the  lines  of  the  poet,  — 

"  He  that  fights,  and  runs  away, 
May  live  to  fight  another  day," 

left   the   church.     Of  course,  the   obnoxious   brethren   were   de- 
feated. 

As  is  usual  on  such  occasions,  although  the  pastor  gained  his 
point,  he  lost  his  parish.  A  division  in  the  parish  followed.  A 
lai'ge  and  respectable  council  was  convened,  and  decided  in  Mr. 
Mellen's  favor ;  but  a  bare  majority  of  the  church  and  society 
refused  to  submit,  ignored  the  decision  of  the  council,  and  turned 
away  their  minister.  After  continuing  to  preach  eight  or  ten 
years  to  the  faithful  few  who  adhered  to  him,  in  his  own  house  and 
in  a  school-house,  he  received  a  call  at  Hanover,  Mass.,  and 
removed  from  Sterling.  But  though  we  see  a  good  deal  of  inde- 
pendence, both  on  the  part  of  clergy  and  laity,  in  the  early  history 
of  Chocksett,  yet,  since  these  early  strifes,  the  good  people  of  Ster- 
ling have  reposed  as  peaceably  among  their  neighbors  as  have  the 
quiet  waters  of  the  Washacum  ponds  among  their  hills. 


APPENDIX.  167 

But,  Mr.  President,  clear  to  me  as  is  my  native  Sterling,  I  also 
love  old  Lancaster.  It  is  fondly  associated  with  cherislied  memo- 
ries of  my  boyhood.  My  father's  farm  lay  on  the  southern  declivity 
of  Redstone  Hill ;  and,  when  the  freshets  had  swollen  your  streams 
and  covered  your  intervales,  I  used  to  lie  upon  the  fresh  green 
grass  in  the  door-yard,  and  watch  the  shimmering  of  the  sunlight 
upon  what  to  me  seemed  your  boundless  waters. 

Almost  all  my  school-days  were  spent  in  dear  old  Lancaster.  I 
have  angled  along  your  river,  listening  to  the  wild  notes  of  the 
blackbird  and  the  robin,  the  planting-bird  and  the  merry  bobolink. 
Indeed,  I  seldom  look  upon  your  beautiful  river  to  this  day,  but  it 
recalls  to  my  mind  those  lines  of  Smollett,  in  his  "  Ode  to  Leven 
Water,"  — 

"Pure  stream!  in  whose  transparent  wave 
My  youthful  limbs  I  wont  to  lave, 
No  torrents  stain  thy  limpid  source, 
No  rocks  impede  thy  dimpling  course." 

In  winter,  too,  on  the  skater's  ringing  steel,  we  coursed  your 
stream,  gathering  drift-wood  for  the  burning  pile,  around  which  we 
whooped  and  hallooed  like  the  sons  of  red  royalty  of  yore.  Our 
early  teachers  too,  —  Sparks,  Emerson,  Miles,  —  oh !  do  I  not 
remember  them  ?  I  especially  bear  in  mind  the  admirable  Emer- 
son, because  it  Avas  my  good  fortune  to  be  longer  a  pupil  of  his 
than  of  either  of  the  others ;  and,  among  our  school-mates,  the 
Greenoughs  (Horatio  the  sculptor,  and  Henry),  the  Tyngs,  the 
Chandlers,  the  Thayers,  the  Clevelands,  the  Higginsons,  and  more 
than  we  can  pause  to  mention  now. 

But  for  your  ten  minutes'  rule,  so  necessary  under  tlxe  circum- 
stances, I  could  scarce  forbear  to  speak  of  the  native  female  poets 
of  Lancaster,  whose  contributions  are  among  the  gems  of  this 
occasion.  But  I  cheerfully  give  place  to  others,  Avith  a  sentiment 
of  united  regard  for  both  Sterling  and  Lancaster :  — 

"  Sterling,  —  full-grown  and  manly  now,  —  yes,  too  raanly  to 
forget  the  good  old  mother." 


168  APrENDIX. 

9.  BoYLSTON  took  to  horsclf  Shrewsbury's  leg,  and  ran  away  from  her  mother. 
But  her  industry  and  many  virtues  have  done  honor  to  herself  and  her  parentage. 
She  is  here,  and  can  speak  for  herself. 

Remarks  of  James  Davenport,  Esq. 

We,  who  constitute  the  family  of  the  fifth  daughter  of  our  good 
mother  Lancaster,  in  having  her  permission  to  "speak  for  our- 
selves" at  this  great  family  gathering,  respond.  Since  1G53, 
Lancaster,  then  a  little  one,  has  become,  not  a  thousand  only,  but 
more  than  fifteen  thousand.  So  many  reminiscences  of  olden  time 
crowd  themselves  into  my  mind  at  this  moment,  that  I  can  only  touch 
upon  one  or  two  of  them.  Lancaster,  as  it  Avas  in  1779,  was  the 
place  of  my  nativity,  and  there  I  have  spent  sixty  years  of  my  life. 
My  ancestors  came  here  in  1730  ;  and  some  of  them  still  occupy 
part  of  a  tract  of  land  granted  to  Richard  Davenport,  sometimes  in 
history  called  the  "  Commander,"  Avho  came  to  this  country  with 
Governor  Endicott  in  1628.  This  tract  consisted  of  six  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  granted  by  the  "  Great  and  General  Court,"  and 
surveyed  by  John  Prescott  and  Jonas  Fairbank :  part  of  the  present 
occupants  are  the  seventh  generation. 

Since  I  first  heard  of  the  intention  of  Lancaster  to  celebrate  this 
two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  I  have 
felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  subject.  I  am  called  upon  to  respond  to 
a  sentiment  offered  by  the  committee  of  the  parent  town,  which  is 
somewhat  equivocal  in  its  character,  the  latter  clause  being  highly 
complimentary ;  but  our  virtues  seemed  to  be  cast  somewhat  into 
the  shade,  when  the  first  clause  charges  us  with  having  taken 
"  Shretvsbury's  leg"  and  ran  away  from  our  mother.  We  plead 
"  not  guilty  "  to  the  charge  of  taking  the  leg :  true  it  is,  we  ran  away 
from  our  mother,  but  ran  upon  our  own  legs,  upon  which  we  yet 
stand ;  but  we  send  the  charge  of  taking  Shrewsbury's  leg  back 
upon  our  mother ;  for  records  show  that  she  herself  took  it  in  1768, 
which  was  eighteen  years  before  we  had  a  legal  existence,  which 
was  not  till  1786.  In  this  instance,  our  good  old  mother,  like  some 
other  mothers,  seems  inclined  to  charge  her  own  mistakes  upon  her 
family ;  but  Ave  excuse  her  at  this  superannuated  time  of  life,  being 
this  day  two  hundred  years  of  age :  we,  being  a  hundred  and  thirty- 


APPENDIX.  169 

three  years  her  junior,  would  not  be  guilty  of  disrespect  to  her,  or 
of  filial  disobedience.  The  wonder  is,  that,  after  setting  out  so 
many  daughters,  and  giving  each  of  them  a  handsome  slice  of  her 
territory,  she  should  still  have  left  to  herself  this  beautiful  plain, 
and,  under  these  noble  elms,  should  have  a  home  in  which  to  receive 
and  entertain  this  large  family  of  descendants.  Here  is  truly  a 
family  meeting,  upon  holy  ground,  for  it  has  been  moistened  with 
the  blood  of  the  pioneers  ;  —  a  meeting,  with  which  a  stranger  inter- 
meddleth  not.  We  are  assembled  with  the  descendants  of  the 
Prescotts,  the  Wilders,  the  Haughtons,  the  Fairbankses,  the  Saw- 
yers, the  Joslins,  the  Moores,  and  others,  whose  fathers  and 
mothers  converted  a  wilderness  into  a  "  fruitful  field,"  and  caused 
the  "desert  to  blossom  as  the  rose."  We  would  not  leave  this 
ground  till  we  feel  our  fraternal  and  filial  graces  strengthened  and 
hallowed  by  the  reminiscences  of  the  occasion;  and  we,  male 
descendants  of  the  pioneers,  would  not  forget,  on  this  interesting 
and  never-to-be-repeated  anniversary,  woman,  the  heljJ-meet  pioneer 
of  our  fathers,  the  "  last,  best  gift  of  Heaven  to  man."  By  her 
assistance  was  Lancaster  made  what  we  see  it  to-day;  by  her 
taste  and  her  fingers  was  yonder  church  so  beautifully  orna- 
mented ;  and  without  her,  without  Avoman,  we  have  no  right  to  say, 
that  Lancaster  would  at  this  day  be  known  ;  for  without  her, 
without  Isabella,  can  we  say  that  America  would  have  been  dis- 
covered, and  Columbus  have  given  a  new  world  to  the  kingdoms  of 
Castile  and  Leon  ?  I  have  spoken  of  woman  by  her  proper  name, 
—  the  name  her  Creator  gave  to  her  at  her  creation.  God  made 
woman  in  the  beginning.  He  did  not  make  ladies  :  they  are  made 
by  milliners.  And,  if  she  has  not  all  her  rights,  I  trust  the  present 
Constitutional  Convention  will  employ  their  wisdom  in  the  investi- 
gation of  them,  and  adoption  of  them  into  the  new  Constitution. 

The  fifth  daughter  now  closes  what  she  has  time  to  offer  on  this 
occasion,  by  a  prayer,  that,  as  the  two  branches  of  the  Nash- 
away,  which  flowed  separately  all  the  way  from  Ashburnliam  on 
the  north  and  Holdcn  on  the  south,  at  diiferent  distances,  till  they 
arrived  at  Lancaster,  did  not  leave  the  place  till  they  had  united 
into  one,  and  flowed  placidly  together  towards  the  Merrimack  in  an 

22 


1 70  APPENDIX. 

unbroken  union  ;  so  may  this  meeting  have  the  effect  to  cement  the 
good  feelings  of  this  great  family,  till  the  Nashaway  shall  cease  to 
flow. 


10.  Otjr  toungest  Daughter,  Clinton.  Like  some  other  daughters,  she  was 
tired  of  being  tied  to  her  mother's  apron-strings  :  she  therefore  bought  her  time,  and 
set  up  for  herself.  Although  she  has  the  pride  of  youth,  she  is  industrious,  and,  like 
the  mothers  of  old,  is  not  ashamed  to  spin  and  weave. 

This  sentiment  was  responded  to  by  Horatio  N.  Bigelow,  Esq. 

Mr.  President,  —  It  is  with  peculiar  embarrassment  that  I  rise 
to  respond  to  the  sentiment  just  offered ;  as  you  are  aware,  sir,  I  am 
more  accustomed  to  spinning  yarns  for  cloths  than  public  speeches. 
Moreover,  the  extreme  youth  of  Clinton  should  entitle  her  to  a  place 
at  this  board  as  a  silent  guest ;  but  it  is  an  old  saying  that  the 
youngest  is  the  pet  of  the  family,  and  in  great  danger  of  being 
spoiled  by  indulgence,  and  such,  I  fear,  may  be  the  fate  of  Clinton 
on  the  present  occasion. 

It  is  but  right  and  honorable,  sir,  that  Clinton,  the  youngest  child 
of  this  numerous  family  of  towns,  should  (by  the  largest  delega- 
tion of  them  all)  manifest  a  warmth  of  filial  love  and  affection 
around  this  festive  board,  that  no  other  members  of  the  family  may 
feel ;  for  it  is  now  but  a  few  days  more  than  three  years  since  we 
were  of  the  same  household ;  and  what  child,  when  he  has  once 
for  all  time  left  the  parental  roof,  remembers  the  little  bickerings 
of  childhood,  or  ever  forgets  the  endearing  associations  of  home, 
which  have  grown  with  his  growth,  and  strengthened  with  his 
strength  ?  It  is  therefore  a  peculiar  interest  that  we  feel  in  coming 
around  this  table  to  unite  with  our  elder  sisters  in  celebrating  the 
two  hundredth  anniversary  of  our  parent  town. 

Clinton  is  that  territory  known  for  many  years  after  the  towns 
of  Sterling,  Boylston,  "West  Boylston,  and  Berlin  were  incorporated, 
as  the  South  Village  of  Lancaster.  It  was  in  this  village,  upon 
South  Meadow  Brook,  that  the  old  Prescott  mill  stood.  It  is 
there  that  the  Prescott  mills  of  1853  stand,  with  kindred  estab- 


APPENDIX.  171 

lishments  around.  It  was  there  that  the  red  man  delighted  to 
hunt  and  fish.  It  was  there,  amongst  the  red  men,  that  John 
Prescott  located  himself,  and  ground  corn  for  the  region  round 
about ;  followed  in  turn  by  the  Sawyers,  the  Rices,  the  Burdetts, 
the  Lows,  and  the  Harrises. 

The  power  of  the  little  stream  referred  to  has  been  used  for  the 
purposes  of  propelling  mills  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  ;  as 
(if  no  other  evidence  was  at  hand)  a  stone  monument  recently 
found  indicates  the  fact,  by  its  marks,  that  John  Prescott  there  lived, 
and  owned  large  tracts  of  land,  as  early  as  1667. 

In  1812,  Poignand  and  Plant,  early  pioneers  in  the  cotton- 
manufacture,  commenced  their  works,  and  continued  in  a  pros- 
perous business  until  1835  ;  when  these,  having  become  old,  were 
sold  into  other  hands.  The  sale  attracted  to  the  time-honored 
spot  the  attention  of  other  youthful  adventurers  in  the  manufac- 
turing business,  who  obtained  control  of  the  "place,  and  com- 
menced their  operations  in  the  spring  of  1838 ;  the  population  of 
what  is  now  Clinton  being,  at  that  time,  not  far  from  two  hundred. 

With  the  establishment  of  new  woi-ks  commenced  the  rapid 
increase  of  population  of  the  South  Village,  and  with  the  increase 
of  population  came  new  wants  and  requirements;  new  roads, 
bridges,  and  schools  were  called  for ;  the  rapid  increase  of  popula- 
tion made  the  demands  imperative,  —  so  much  so,  that  the  old 
settlers  began  to  have  some  fears  as  to  what  the  result  was  to  be ; 
the  wants  of  a  concentrated  manufacturing  population  being  so 
different  from  those  of  an  agricultural  community,  that  the  demands 
of  the  South  Village  were  thought  hard.  The  farmer  did  not 
wish  to  pay  his  highway  tax  in  money,  any  more  than  the  manu- 
facturer wanted  to  work  his  out  upon  the  highway.  The  political 
power  of  the  South  Village  beginning  to  show  itself^  it  became 
apparent  to  many  that  some  change  in  the  management  of  town 
affairs  must  take  place.  Consequently,  the  people  of  Cliutonville 
(for  that  was  the  name  adopted  by  the  village)  petitioned  the  mother- 
town  to  be  set  off  as  a  separate  town,  and  receive  their  inheritance ; 
but  the  old  town  replied,  "  We  cannot  let  you  go ;  we  have  nursed 
you  and  brought  you  up  at  great  expense ;   wc  camiot  consent." 


172  APPENDIX. 

Many  objections  were  raised ;  amongst  others,  were  the  expensive 
bridges,  roads,  aTtid  a  town  debt;  but  all  could  not  satisfy  the 
people  of  Clintonville.  They  perseveringly  pressed  their  claims ; 
and,  although  entertaining  the  highest  regard  for  the  old  town, 
felt  that  something  must  be  done,  and,  if  possible,  in  a  -manner  not 
to  break  friendship  with  the  mother-town.  They  therefore  re- 
sorted to  the  expedient,  referred  to  in  the  sentiment,  of  offering  to 
buy  their  time.  This  was  considered  generous.  This  touched 
the  noble  heart  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  town.  They  said,  "  If  they 
are  thus  in  earnest,  we  must  consent.  We  will  meet  them,  and 
make  an  arrangement."     And  accordingly  a  meeting  was  held. 

It  was  then  agreed,  that,  in  consideration  of  the  large  number  of 
bridges  and  great  length  of  road  that  would  be  left  to  Lancaster, 
she  should  retain  all  the  town-property,  and  that  Clinton  should 
pay  her  ten  thousand  dollars.  In  consideration  of  which,  it  was  also 
agreed  that  the  old  town  of  Lancaster  should  not  appear  before 
the  Legislative  Committee  to  oppose  the  granting  of  the  prayer  of 
the  people  of  Clinton  for  an  act  incorporating  them  as  a  separate 
town  within .  the  limits  agreed  upon,  which  embraced  about  five 
thousand  acres  of  the  twenty-five  thousand  then  remaining  to  the 
town  of  Lancaster.  Thus  you  will  see,  Mr.  President,  that  the 
good  old  mother  did  not  bestow  upon  Clinton  the  fair  inheri- 
tance in  lands  which  she  had  done  upon  her  elder  children;  and, 
when  our  elder  sister  Harvard  boasts  here  to-day  of  her  beautiful 
possessions  of  hills  and  valleys,  we  have  nothing  to  show  in  com- 
parison but  sandy  plains,  a  large  debt,  and  tolerable  water-power. 
But,  sii",  Clinton  does  not  complain;  for  all  this  was  a  mat- 
ter of  mutual  agreement,  and  Clinton  has  faithfully  fulfilled  her 
part  of  it. 

Having  thus,  Mr.  President,  bought  our  time,  and  cut  loose  from 
the  old  lady's  apron-strings,  we  have  gone  on  our  way  rejoicing, 
increasing  our  manufactures,  until  we  now  produce  ginghams, 
quilts,  coach-laces,  carpets,  machinery,  machine  castings,  combs, 
hay -forks,  carpet  bags,  and  many  other  small  wares ;  the  aggregate 
amount  of  all  our  manufactures  being  annually  more  than  two 
millions  of  dollars,  —  our  population,  "in  the  mean  time,  having 


APPENDIX.  173 

attained  to  about  3,500.     With  these  means  of  thrift,  Mr.  President, 
Clinton  hopes  to  spin,  weave,  hammer,  and  pitch  herself  out  of  debt. 

Clinton,  sir,  amid  all  her  business  cares,  has  not  forgotten  the  ^ 
good  example  of  her  good  old  mother,  but  has  established  her 
churches,  built  her  school-houses,  and  jjrovided  good  ministers 
and  school-teachers,  —  so  that  all  her  people  may  assemble  and 
listen  to  instruction  from  the  word  of  God;  and  her  children  may- 
early  learn  what  is  taught  in  our  public  schools,  believing,  with  the 
mother-town,  that  in  the  naorality  and  general  intelligence  of  the 
people  rests  the  security  of  our  free  institutions.  She  has  estab- 
lished a  large  library,  and  maintains  public  lectures  during  the  lec- 
ture season.  She  has  provided  a  rural  cemetery,  lunple  for  the  final 
resting-place  of  all  her  citizens.  She  provides  liberally  for  the  poor 
within  her  borders.  In  short,  Mr.  President,  the  prosperity  of  the 
child  has  been  all  that  the  mother  had  a  right  to  expect. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  say  to  our  good  old  mother  Lan- 
caster, we  are  happy  to  be  with  you  at  this  family  gathering  to- 
day. We  rejoice,  that,  while  you  have  contributed  largely  of  your 
territory  on  the  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  to  foi'm  new  towns, 
you  still  enjoy  the  enviable  position  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
townships  of  land  in  the  good  old  county  of  Worcester.  You  sit 
as  a  princess  upon  her  throne,  proudly  looking  out  upon  all  her 
children  ;  and,  so  long  as  there  shall  be  a  sun  in  the  heavens,  may 
old  Lancaster  be,  what  she  is  to-day,  the  pride  of  all  her  children ! 

Allow  me,  sir,  in  conclusion,  to  propose  to  you  this  senti- 
ment:— 

"Lancaster,  —  the  honored  parent  of  many  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. May  she  ever  be  blessed  in  her  children,  and  may  none  of 
them  be  left  to  disgrace  her  fair'  name ! " 


A  native  resident,  in  behalf  of  the  modicr,  made  llie  followini,' 
reply  to  her  several  daughters  :  — 

Mr.  President,  —  Our  youngest  daughter,   Clinton,  has  stated, 
that,  instead  of  giving  her  a  dower,  we  gave  her  a  debt ;  a  remark 


174  APPENDIX. 

which  seems  to  me  to  need  an  explanation,  lest  it  may  lead  this 
audience  to  believe  that  she  was  not  fairly  treated.  I  think,  sir, 
that,  when  the  facts  in  the  case  are  fairly  represented,  we  shall  be 
justified  in  the  course  we  took  when  she  made  known  her  desire  to 
leave.  I  therefore  ask  you  to  allow  me  time,  not  exceeding  five 
minutes,  to  state  the  circumstances  under  which  our  several  daugh- 
ters have  left  us. 

In  the  first  place,  sir,  our  five  eldest,  from  time  to  time,  as  they 
arrived  at  proper  age,  asked  us  to  allow  them  to  leave,  and  set  up 
for  themselves.  We  knew  them  all  to  be  judicious  and  discreet, 
and  therefore  not  only  cheerfully  consented,  but  gave  each  of  them 
a  large  and  good  farm  outright ;  and  we  are  happy  to  announce  to 
this  assembly,  that  they  have  each  husbanded  their  favors  well ; 
made  great  improvements  upon  them,  by  which  the  value  has  been 
enhanced  to  an  amount  almost  beyond  calculation ;  and  there  is  not, 
to  my  knowledge,  a  mortgage  of  a  dollar  upon  any  one  of  them. 

Thus  stands  the  condition  of  our  five  eldest. 

Qur  youngest  daughter,  Clinton,  left  under  very  different  circum- 
stances. She  was  young,  we  thought  quite  too  young  and  inexpe- 
rienced to  manage  for  herself;  and  we  therefore  objected,  and  told 
her  at  the  outset  that  she  should  not  have  so  large  a  farm  as  her 
sisters  had  had  on  any  terms  ;  and  that  we  would  grant  even  the 
small  farm  she  asked  for,  only  on  condition  that  she  should  pay 
us  a  thousand  dollars  a  year  for  ten  years,  and  that  a  failure  of 
prompt  payment  should  annul  the  contract.  We  thought,  sir,  that 
such  a  condition  would  settle  the  matter,  and  stop  her  entreaties. 
But,  sir,  instead  of  that,  she  assented  to  our  terms  so  promptly, 
that,  feeling  a  deep  interest  in  her  welfare,  we  were  almost  fright- 
ened, and  probably  should  have  tried  to  hire  her  to  recant,  had  we 
not  supposed  that  the  bargain  would  soon  be  annulled  by  her  failing 
to  make  prompt  payments.  But,  so  far  from  being  delinquent,  she 
has  already  paid  seven-tenths  of  the  debt;  and,  having  a  much 
smaller  farm  than  any  of  her  sisters,  has  turned  her  attention  to 
other  pursuits,  is  in  a  thriving  condition,  and  has  already  outgrown 
her  mother  and  most  of  her  sisters.  This,  sir,  is  a  true  history  of 
the  character  and  condition  of  our  five  daughters  ;  and  I  will  assure 


APPENDIX.  175 

you  that  we  feel  proud  of  them,  and  rejoice  in  their  presence  on 
this  occasion. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  I  take  this  occasion  to  give  notice, 
that,  in  case  we  should  ever  be  blessed  with  another  daughter,  we 
have  lately  made  ample  provision  for  her  education,  and  will  sup- 
port her  handsomely,  and  in  good  style,  at  home  ;  but,  if  she  leaves 
us,  she  must  shirk  for  herself,  for  we  are  determined  that  the  old 
homestead  shall  never  be  reduced  another  rod.  We  mean  to  keep 
it  large  enough  to  accommodate  all  our  children  and  grandchildren 
who  may  favor  us  with  a  call  at  our  next  centennial. 


11.  Old  Grandmother,  Lancaster.  If  she  is  proud  of  her  children,  she  is  no 
less  so  of  her  children's  children;  and,  without  Berlin  and  AVest  Boylston,  would 
have  the  family  gathering  incomplete. 

The  Rev.  T.  C.  Tingley,  of  West  Boylston,  responded  to  this 
sentiment. 

Mr.  President,  —  The  duty  of  resjionding  to  the  call  of  our 
beloved  grandmother  devolves  on  myself,  as  the  gentleman  first 
appointed  for  that  purpose,  who  is  a  native  of  West  Boylston,  is 
not  present;  and  his  substitute,  who  has  long  been  favorably 
known  as  an  adopted  citiz'en,  is  necessarily  absent. 

Though  I  thought  it  very  desirable  that  a  response  should  be 
made  by  a  native,  or  at  least  by  one  long  resident  in  the  town, 
yet,  as  I  have  been  very  cordially  adopted  into  the  family  of  the 
granddaughter,  and  received  much  kind  treatment  from  the  mem- 
bers of  that  family,  I  therefore  yield  to  existing  circumstances,  and 
reply  to  the  sentiment  so  kindly  expressed. 

But  as  grandparents  are  proverbially  indulgent  to  their  grand- 
children, I  hope  to  receive  a  share  of  that  indulgence  on  the 
present  occasion.  Being  comjiaratively  a  stranger  among  you,  I 
have  not  the  advantage  of  a  flxmiliar  acquaintance  with  your  his- 
tory;  for  I  have  not  the  lionor  of  being  a  native  of  West  Boylston, 
or  even  of  Massachusetts,  but  am  a  son  of  little  Hhoda,  tlie  smallest 
of  the  thirty-one  Sister  States.     I  have  felt,  however,  a  deep  interest 


176  APPENDIX. 

in  the  town  of  Lancaster,  from  the  time  that  I  read,  in  the  days  of 
my  childhood,  the  affecting  story  of  Mrs.  Rowlandson ;  and  I  well 
I'emember  how  my  spirit  kindled  with  indignation  at  her  recital 
of  savage  cruelty,  and  often  did  I  task  my  young  mind  as  to  how 
I  should  manage  to  kill  an  Indian.  But  these  feelings  of  vengeance 
have  long  since,  I  trust,  been  subdued  by  a  holier  influence.  Little 
did  I  anticipate,  when  first  perusing  that  narrative,  that  I  should 
ever  be  called  to  address  an  assembly  like  this,  on  the  very  ground 
"where  occurred  those  scenes  of  terror  and  blood. 

I  feel  a  still  deeper  interest  in  your  history,  from  the  fact,  that, 
in  the  destruction  of  this  town,  and  the  captivity  and  slaughter  of 
your  ancestors,  the  Indians  of  my  native  state  bore  a  very  promi- 
nent part.  When,  upon  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  February, 
1676,  on  yonder  now  green  and^  lovely  spot,  the  garrisoned  house 
of  the  Rev.  Mr,  Rowlandson,  your  first  minister,  was  surrounded 
by  infuriated  savages,  his  family  driven  by  the  flames  from  their 
burning  dwelling,  his  little  Sarah  mortally  wounded  in  her  mother's 
arms,  —  and  when  these  fields  were  crimsoned  with  the  blood  and 
strewn  with  the  mangled  bodies  of  his  flock,  and  the  shriek  of 
terror  and  the  groan  of  death  mingled  with  the  appalling  war- 
whoop,  the  red  men  of  Rhode  Island  were  some  of  the  fiercest 
spirits  in  that  scene  of  horrors. 

.  It  was  a  Narragansett  Indian  who  seized  Mary,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rowlandson,  at  the  door  of  the  burning 
garrison,  and  who  held  her  for  a  time  as  his  property,  and  then 
sold  her  to  another  Indian  for  a  gun.  Rhode  Island,  too,  was  the 
land  of  King  Philip,  who  led  on  that  desolating  host  of  barbarians. 
But  all  those  dark  sons  of  the  forest  have  long  since  passed  from 
the  shores  of  time.  I  have  sailed  on  the  beautiful  Narragansett 
Bay :  Mount  Hope,  once  the  royal  residence  of  the  proud  Sachem 
of  the  Wampanoags,  still  looks  down  upon  those  waters ;  but  King 
Philip  is  gone,  the  crown  is  fallen  from  his  head,  his  painted  war- 
I'iors  sleep  in  death,  and  Lancaster  mothers  no  longer  tremble,  and 
press  their  babes  closer  to  their  bosoms,  at  the  shout  of  the  savage 
and  the  alarm  of  war. 

When,  in  the  earlier  French  and  Indian  wars,  Lancaster  was 


APPENDIX.  17*7 

again  made  a  battle-field,  on  which  some  of  her  noblest  sons  poured 
out  their  life-blood,  and  the  Rev.  Jolui  Whiting,  then  the  minister 
of  this  town,  sank  in  his  fearful  death-struggle  against  overwhelm- 
ing numbers,  there  was  then  living  a  child,  whose  son,  in  the 
closing  war  with  the  French  and  Indians,  when  he  was  but  fifteen 
years  of  age,  —  an  age  at  which  it  may  seem  more  suitable  that 
he  should  have  been  in  his  mother's  arms  than  in  the  field  of  battle, 
—  enlisted  in  the  army  destined  for  the  invasion  of  Canada ;  thus 
"  carrying  the  Avar  into  Africa,"  and  attacking  the  enemy  at  the 
very  seat  of  his  power.  And,  with  the  combined  forces  under 
General  "Wolfe,  he  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence ;  climbed,  in  the  dark- 
ness of  night,  the  rugged  steeps  which  lie  beneath  the  Plains  of 
Abraham ;  and  when,  at  daybreak,  our  troops  were  seen  mar- 
shalled for  battle  before  the  walls  of  Quebec,  that  youth  stood  in 
those  ranks,  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  England's  warriors ;  and, 
before  the  setting  of  the  sun,  he  saw  that  victory  won,  which 
brought  the  Canadas  under  the  sway  of  Britain,  and  made  the 
fear  of  French  and  Indian  massacre  in  Lancaster  pass  away  for 
ever.  That  youth  was  my  paternal  grandfather.  Oft  have  I 
listened,  with  lively  interest,  to  his  descriptions  of  those  soul- 
stirring  scenes.  Thus,  although  from  my  native  State  have  flowed 
many  of  the  woes  of  Lancaster,  yet  my  iamily  liave  born<!  a 
part  in  arresting  the  tide  of  invasion  and  ruin. 

But  as  children  and  grandchildren,  when  assembled  at  the  old 
liomestead  after  a  long  absence,  are  usually  expected  to  give  a 
report  of  their  doings,  it  may  be  expected  that  West  Boylston 
will  give  an  account  of  herself  to  "  Grandmother  Lancaster "  on 
the  present  occasion. 

Though  the  history  of  youi-  granddaughter  contains  few  facts  of 
general  interest,  it  may  be  proper  to  state,  that,  when  she  attempted 
to  commence  a  separate  establishment,  slic  found  great  diilicuUy 
in  effecting  her  purpose,  on  account  of  the  refusal  of  your  daugiiter 
Boylston,  her  mother,  to  give  her  consent. 

In  consequence  of  this,  much  unpleasant  feeling  was  excited, 
and  many  unkind  words  were  uttered.  But  a  better  state  of  things 
soon  succeeded ;  and  the  mother  and  daughter  now  dwell  side  by  side 

23 


178  APPENDIX. 

in  harmony  and  love.  "When  she  commenced  housekeeping,  she 
had  about  six  hundred  people  on  her  territory ;  now  she  has  not  far 
from  two  thousand.  She  owns  between  seven  and  eight  thousand 
acres  of  land ;  has  three  meeting-houses,  and  four  or  five  cotton 
factories ;  and  carries  on  a  large  business  in  boot-raaking.  She 
takes  an  interest  in  moral  and  political  subjects.  She  remonstrarted 
against  the  embargo  under  Jefferson's  administration ;  but  her 
remonstrance  did  not  open  a  single  port.  She  protested  against  the 
last  war  with  Great  Britain ;  but  the  war  went  on,  and  floating 
batteries  met  in  fierce  encounter,  and  hostile  legions  rushed  to  the 
field  of  death. 

Your  granddaughter  has  a  number  of  children  still  under  her 
care ;  one  of  whom,  called  Oakdale,  is  a  boy  of  considerable  spirit 
and  enterprise.  He  has  gi-own  rapidly  within  a  few  years ;  and,  it 
is  thought  by  some,  that  he  is  desirous  of  quitting  the  old  home- 
stead, and  setting  up  for  himself.  And  though  the  time  for  such 
a  step  does  not  seem  as  yet  to  have  arrived,  it  is  hoped  that  his 
prosperity  may  be  such,  that  it  will  be  expedient,  at  no  very 
distant  day,  for  Oakdale,  like  your  youngest  daughter  Clinton,  to 
commence  a  separate  establishment. 

Reference  has  been  made,  by  gentlemen  who  have  preceded 
me,  to  some  remarkable  changes  in  manners  and  customs  within 
the  last  two  centuries.  Times  have,  indeed,  changed  ;  and  people 
change  with  the  times.  In  the  early  days  of  Virginia,  young 
ladies  were  imported  from  England,  and  furnished  to  the  settlers 
for  wives,  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  tobacco 
per  head ;  and,  in  a  contract  for  settling  a  minister  in  one  of  the 
towns  of  this  State,  it  was  stipulated  that  he  should  receive  annu- 
ally, in  addition  to  other  articles,  so  much  wood  and  so  much 
grain,  and  thirty  gallons  of  good  West-India  rum.  Truly  may  it 
be  said,  "  Old  things  are  passed  away ;  and  behold  some  things 
have  become  new !" 

Permit  me,  in  closing,  to  offer  the  following  sentiment :  — 

"  Grandmother  Lancaster.  Though  she  is  two  hundred 
years  old  this  day,  yet  her  eyes  are  not  dim,  nor  is  her  natural 
vigor  abated." 


APPENDIX.  179 

The  same  sentiment  was  also  responded  to  by  Josiah  Bride, 
Esq.,  of  Berlin. 

Mr.  President,  —  I  arise,  not  to  make  a  speech,  but  to  make 
an  excuse.  I  had  no  expectation  of  being  here  to-day  until  last 
evening,  and  but  little  until  this  morning;  not  because  I  had  no 
interest  in  this  occasion,  but  because,  on  public  days  like  this,  I  am 
seldom  able  to  get  beyond  the  limits  of  my  school-room.  And  I 
stand  before  you  to  make  this  response,  because  it  is  a  position 
which  I  cannot  avoid.     I  stand  here  because  I  must. 

I  have,  since  I  came  into  this  tent,  been  very  forcibly  reminded 
of  my  own  paternal  grandmother.  When  I  was  a  boy,  my  brothers 
and  myself  used  to  make  her  frequent  visits.  I  remember  them 
well.  Especially  do  I  remember  how,  upon  the  sabbath,  during 
the  interval  of  divine  worship,  we  used  to  go  over  across  the  pas- 
tui'es  to  call  on  her,  after  she  had  passed  the  age  of  ninety  years. 
We  always  found  her  with  a  cheerful  countenance,  under  the  plain 
but  neat  cap  that  characterized  those  days,  and  ready  to  give  us  a 
cordial  welcome.  The  table  was  soon  set,  and  the  bread  and  cheese 
laid  upon  it  for  our  repast.  How  natural  that  these  reminiscences 
of  my  youth  should  be  forced  upon  me  on  this  occasion !  Grand- 
mother Lancaster  has  here  spread  her  table ;  not  like  the  little 
round  table  of  my  grandmother,  to  which  I  have  referred,  but  the 
long  and  extended  table  that  fills  this  spacious  tent,  loaded  with  the 
bounties  of  Providence.  • 

We  would  not  be  egotistic ;  we  do  not  wish  to  speak  of  self;  but, 
when  I  have  listened  to  the  honored  names  and  cherished  virtues 
of  those  venerable  men  of  olden  time,  especially  those  of  Hari'ing- 
ton  and  Thayer,  the  deep  feelings  of  my  soul  have  been  stirred 
within  me,  not  only  by  the  history  of  the  former  and  a  personal 
and  affectionate  remembrance  of  the  latter,  but  by  the  remem- 
brance of  another,  better  known  to  me,  whose  praise  was  in  all  the 
churches,  and  who  was  their  cotemporary  and  friend.  And  I  know 
that  grandmother  will  not  feel  her  clergy  dishonored,  if  1  register 
with  them,  in  the  view  of  her  whole  family,  one  no  less  honorable 
and  no  less  honored  than  Dr.  Reuben  Puffer,  of  Berlin. 


180  APPENDIX. 

Dr.  Puffer  was  prevailingly  taciturn,  serious,  and  dignified ;  yet 
few  men  could  be  more  sociably  interesting  than  he,  whenever  his 
thoughts  could  be  drawn  up  from  the  deep  study  in  which  they 
appeared  almost  constantly  merged.  In  youth,  I  was  fond  of  social 
interviews ;  but  most  of  the  evenings  spent  socially  with  my  com- 
panions have  become  more  or  less  obscured  by  the  lapse  of  time, 
and  many  of  them  have  faded  entirely  from  my  memory.  But  the 
evenings  spent  in  listening  to  the  cheerful  conversation  and  pleasant 
anecdotes  of  that  venerable  man  will  ever  stand  out  distinctly  upon 
the  tablets  of  my  recollection.  If  any  one  would  know  something 
of  him  as  a  preacher,  let  him  read  his  valedictory  discourse  on 
leaving  the  old  meeting-house,  his  sermon  at  the  dedication  of  the 
new,  or  one  of  two  or  three  other  sermons  reluctantly  given  for  the 
press ;  or  let  him  go  to  his  time-worn  and  time-honored  widow, 
who  yet  lingers  upon  the  shores  of  time  with  us,  and  select  one 
from  the  bushels  of  sermons  which  he  left,  and  he  will  know  some- 
thing of  the  doctor  as  a  sermonizer ;  but  the  half  would  not  be 
known  or  felt,  unless  he  could  imagine  the  eloquence,  the  gravity, 
and  the  warmth  with  which  they  were  delivered.  Ordinary  occa- 
sions seemed  frequently  to  be  converted  into  extraordinary  ones  by 
the  pathos  and  approj)riateness  of  his  prayers ;  while,  on  occasions 
really  extraordinary,  his  excursive  mind  was  sure  to  bring  every 
circumstance  to  the  mercy-seat ;  and  his  petitions  were  offered  with 
so  much  fervency  of  spirit,  that  I  may  say  of  him,  as  Wilson  said  of 
the  bird  he  Was  describing,  "  His  whole  soul  seemed  to  expire  in  the 
elevated  strain." 

An  anecdote,  which  I  will  relate  as  I  have  heard  it,  will  illustrate 
this  point:  — 

Through  the  influence  of  Judge  Brigham,  of  Westborough,  then 
a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  an  admirer  of  Dr.  Puffer,  he  was 
appointed  to  preach  the  Election  Sermon.  It  was  customaiy  in 
those  days  for  the  clergyman  who  officiated  on  that  occasion  to 
write  out  his  prayer  and  commit  it  to  memory,  not  daring  to  trust  the 
moment  for  recollecting  so  many  topics  necessary  to  be  mentioned. 
The  doctor  in  this  particular  followed  in  the  steps  of  his  predecessors, 
and  committed  his  prayer  to  memory ;  but  he  had  not  proceeded  far 


APPENDIX.  181 

when  he  found  himself  in  an  uncomfortable  dUemma,  and  unable  to 
tread  the  path  he  had  marked  out.  At  this  moment,  a  friend  of 
Judge  Brigham,  who  sat  by  his  side,  with  a  significant  jog  of  the 
elbow  whispered,  "  And  that  is  your  minister  ?  "  The  judge  felt  as 
uncomfortable  as  his  minister,  but  kept  silent.  Soon  the  doctor 
threw  off  the  trammels  of  his  written  form,  and  gave  himself  up  to 
the  current  of  his  own  present,  gushing  thoughts.  The  transition 
was  great ;  nothing  that  should  have  been  thought  of  was  forgotten  ; 
and  the  moistened  eyes  and  deep  feeling  of  the  audience,  at  its  close, 
testified  that  it  was  no  unsuccessful  effort.  The  judge  now  felt  free 
to  return  the  elbowing,  and  to  reply,  "  That  is  my  minister."  By 
an  accommodation  of  this  language,  we  beg  permission  to  say  exult- 
ingly,  if  exultation  be  proper  on  such  a  subject,  Dr.  Puffer  tvas  our 
minister.     But  I  must  turn  from  the  dead  to  the  hving. 

I  agree  with  the  gentleman  that  has  referred  to  the  affection 
that  exists  between  grandmothers  and  grandchildren,  and  we  are 
very  glad  to  visit  grandmother  Lancaster  to-day.  We  are  glad  also 
to  find  so  many  of  our  relatives  here.  We  come  to  take  our  mother 
Bolton  by  the  hand,  and  to  assure  her  that  we  ever  hope  to  have 
mother  "  bolt  on  "  in  the  right ;  and  are  glad  to  know,  that,  in  these 
peaceful  times,  instead  of  elevating  her  generals  and  training  her 
riflemen,  she  is  disposed  to  educate  her  family,  —  that  she  is  de- 
termined to  educate  every  member  of  it,  without  exception  or 
invidious  distinction. 

We  have  come  to  greet  aunt  Harvard.  We  rejoice  that  she  is 
satisfied  Avitli  her  dower ;  and,  when  we  have  heard  her  speak  of  it 
in  the  form  of  geographical  elevations,  the  spontaneous  desire  has 
arisen  in  our  hearts,  that  her  intellectual  and  moral  elevation  may 
not  be  inferior  to  her  geographical. 

We  shake  hands  to-day  with  aunt  Leominster.  Aunts  are  some- 
times pretty  severe :  it  may  be  so  with  her.  At  any  rate,  slic  is 
constantly  combing  us ;  but  we  receive  it  witli  all  due  submission, 
and  are  much  consoled  by  the  reflection,  that,  however  severely  she 
may  comb  us,  she  combs  all  the  world  beside. 

We  are  glad  to  make  ourselves  better  acquainted  witli  aunt  Ster- 
ling; and  take  pleasure  in   expressing  to  her  the  hope,  that   the 


182  APPENDIX. 

woilh  of  Sterling,  and  Sterling  worth,  may  ever  be  synonymous 
terms. 

Aunt  Clinton,  too,  we  are  glad  to  see  here,  and  are  happy  to 
cultivate  her  acquaintance.  She  is  much  younger  than  ourselves ; 
but,  Mr.  President,  you,  know  it  is  nothing  strange  in. human  events 
for  the  aunt  to  be  younger  than  the  niece ;  and  we  beg  leave  to 
assure  her  that  we  have  to-day  been  more  fully  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  the  oft-reiterated  remark,  that  the  youngest  members  of  a 
family  are  frequently  the  brightest.  Towards  Aunt  Boylston  and 
cousin  West  Boylston  we  also  cherish  sentiments  of  kindness  and 
respect. 

But,  Mr.  President,  the  principal  object  of  our  coming  here  to- 
day is  to  see  our  grandmother.  We  have  not  been  so  conversant 
with  her  of  late  years  as  formerly.  We  used  to  see  her  annually 
upon  the  muster-field,  to  which  she  was  much  attached.  The  field 
must  be  here,  and  she  must  be  upon  it.  This  was  perfectly  natural. 
Surrounded  as  she  was  in  her  youth  by  the  savage  Indians,  and 
obliged  to  employ  the  means  of  self-defence,  it  was  very  natural  for 
her  to  acquire  a  military  spirit  of  no  ordinary  strength. 

But  a  great  change  has  come  over  the  community;  and  the 
muster-field,  and  the  spirit  which  it  tended  to  foster,  are  in  a  great 
measure  passed  away.  It  gives  us  much  pleasure  to  know  that 
she  is  now  turning  her  attention  towards  the  education  of  her 
numerous  family,  and  the  community  at  large ;  and  that  she  is 
employing  for  this  purpose  the  best  teachers  that  the  country 
afibrds. 

We  congratulate  her  upon  this  effort,  and  anticipate  great  good 
as  the  necessary  and  happy  result ;  feeling  assured  that  this  whole 
region  will  be  both  intellectually  and  morally  elevated  through  her 
instrumentality. 

We  felt  anxious  to  know  whether  grandmother  wears  spectacles. 
We  never  had  any  doubt  of  her  intellectual  ken,  and  we  have 
never  heard  that  her  natural  vision  was  impaired ;  but  we  believe 
she  wears  spectacles  that  are  both  useful  and  ornamental.  We 
think  we  see  them  in  her  lofty  trees  and  magnificent  edifices,  her 
flowing  streams  and  verdant,  wide-spread  intervales.     But,  what- 


APPENDIX,  183 

ever  may  be  said  of  the  spectacles  that  she  wears  on  ordinary- 
occasions,  one  thing  we  know,  her  countenance  is  to-day  enlivened 
by  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spectacles  we  have  ever  beheld,  more 
splendid  than  silver  or  gold. 

Mr.  President,  the  scenes  of  this  day  remind  me  of  an  incident 
that  occurred  under  my  observation  two  years  ago,  which,  although 
trifling  in  itself,  was  to  my  mind  so  interesting,  and  so  fully  illus- 
trates our  feelings  on  this  occasion,  that  I  cannot  forbear  to  relate 
it.  As  I  was  riding  leisurely  up  a  slight  elevation  near  the  village 
of  Feltonville,  I  overtook  two  little  girls,  whose  ages  might  vary 
from  three  to  six  years.  They  looked  at  me  with  much  interest, 
and  finally  collected  courage  to  speak.  Tliey  seemed  to  be  so  full 
of  their  subject  that  they  could  not  remain  silent.  The  elder,  after 
a  conciliating  courtesy,  straightened  herself  up,  and  exclaimed  with 
enthusiasm,  "  I  have  been  to  grandmother's."  The  younger,  elevat- 
ing herself  upon  her  toes  till  she  had  attained  nearly  the  height  of 
her  sister,  repeated  the  exclamation,  "I  —  I  have  been  to  grand- 
mother's too ; "  when  both  repeated,  with  simultaneous  voices, 
"  We've  both  been  to  grandmother's."  I  think,  sir,  we  shall  go 
home  to-night,  feeling  very  much  like  these  little  girls.  Again  will 
be  heard  the  enthusiastic  exclamation,  or  at  least  the  spontaneous 
effusions  of  the  heart  will  be, — "I  have  been  to  grandmother's,  and 
I  have  been  to  grandmother's  too,  and  we  have  all  been  to  grand- 
mother's." 

Mr.  President,  I  have  no  sentiment  to  present.  I  have  not  had 
time  to  prepare  a  speech  or  write  a  sentiment ;  but  the  sentiments 
of  affection  and  regard  expressed  in  these  remarks,  we  leave  with 
you,  assured  that  the  scenes  of  this  day  will  never  be  erased  from 
our  memories  till  our  hearts  cease  to  vibrate,  and  we  are  gathered 
to  our  fathers. 


12.  The  Savages,  —  the  deadly  foes  of  the  fathers;  the  valued  friends  of  the 
children. 

The  Hon.  James  Savage,  of  Boston,  as  representing  tlie  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society  and  its  President,  responded  to  this 
sentiment  as  follows :  — 


184  APPENDIX. 

Mr.  Chairman,  —  I  gratefully  acknowledge  the  honor  done  me 
in  this  last  toast ;  but  it  was  wholly  unexpected,  and  must  be  inade- 
quately repaid.  At  your  invitation,  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society,  last  Thursday,  deputed  five  members  to  partake  in  your 
festive  solemnity  to-day  ;  and  my  friends,  Dr.  Bartlett,'of  Concord, 
the  late  President  Spai-ks,  of  Cambridge,  and  the  late  Governor 
Evei'Ctt,  of  Boston,  were  of  that  number,  whose  other  engagements 
deprive  them  of  the  pleasure  of  appearing  for  the  Society,  with  the 
orator  of  this  occasion  and  myself.  Might  I  not,  sir,  well  claim  to 
be  exempt  from  contribution  to  your  feast,  when  my  brother  of  that 
Society,  whose  command  brings  me  here,  has  this  morning  labored 
more  than  two  hours  for  your  amusement  and  instruction  ?  And  if 
any  lady  or  gentleman  of  this  vast  assembly  is  unsatisfied  with  that 
exhibition,  it  can  be  told  me  next  week ;  but  greatly  will  it  sur- 
prise me. 

Yet,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  profound  interest  of  this  anniversary 
stirs  every  spring  of  pleasant  emotion  within  me ;  and,  in  honor  of 
Lancaster,  most  heartily  would  I  pour  out 

"  A  merrier  tuue 
Than  the  lark  warbles  on  the  Ides  of  June." 

For  though,  before  to-day,  I  never  but  once  passed  an  hour  in 
your  beautiful  town,  and  only  half  a  day  then,  a  strong  sympathy 
with  the  early  fortune  of  this  Nashua  valley  is  among  the  first  of 
my  youthful  associations.  More  than  sixty  years  since,  the  good 
Boston  family  that  had  the  charge  of  my  orphan  state  being  com- 
pelled to  exchange  one  dwelling  for  another  three  different  times 
in  one  year,  I  well  remember  the  doleful  exclamation  of  the  female 
head,  that  she  feared  to  suffer  as  many  removes  as  old  Mother 
Rowlandson,  —  so  widely  had  the  proverbial  expression  been  dif- 
fused. Who  Mother  Rowlandson  was,  in  that  my  fii'st  year  at  the 
town  school,  I  knew  as  little  as  of  your  geography,  or  other  scenes 
of  her  distress.  But  one  year  more,  and  the  instruction  came.  By 
the  current  events  of  our  Indian  war,  the  defeats  of  Harmar  and 
St.  Clair,  the  shocking  massacres  and  wide  conflagrations  in  the 
Ohio  valley,  all  the  sufferings  of  the  prior  century  became  matters 


APPENDIX.  185 

of  frequent  convei'sation,  especially  with  those  whose  relations  or 
friends  had  recently  fallen.  The  war  of  King  Philip,  and  the 
humble  narrative  of  disasters  by  those  who  outlived  the  tortures  of 
captivity,  were  rendered  "  familiar  as  household  words."  Details 
of  the  whole  Iliad  of  your  infant  woes  fastened  with  bewitching 
bonds  on  my  imagination,  and  ever  since  have  been  fresh  in  my 
memory. 

Still  the  virtues  and  the  suiFering  of  ancestors  that  have  endeared 
this  happy  valley,  though  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance,  need 
not,  sir,  confine  our  regards  exclusively  on  this  occasion  to  a  con- 
templation of  occurrences  two  hundred  years  back.  You  had 
solemn  commemoration  of  the  origin  of  your  town,  as  from  our 
orator  we  learn,  one  century  ago ;  and  for  the  second  time  are 
met  to  reverence  that  event,  in  far  happier  circumstances.  May 
we  not,  therefore,  decently  reflect  on  the  lapse  of  only  the  last  half 
of  your  lifetime,  and  consider  merely  how  the  past  century  has 
made  its  mark  for  or  against  us  ?  Glorious  things  are  told  in  our 
glad  ears,  as  they  were  this  morning,  of  the  earliest  hundred  in  the 
sun's  annual  returns  on  your  municipality,  when  the  deep  founda- 
tions of  a  people's  character  were  laid  in  poverty  and  peril.  Now 
let  us  ask  ourselves,  how  came  we  to  this  wonderful  state  of 
national  wealth,  of  federal  power,  of  individual  and  universal 
security,  such  as  no  human  experience,  in  so  brief  a  period,  ever 
equalled  ? 

Mr.  Chairman,  it  is  only  one  hundred  years,  precisely  that,  last 
February,  since  George  Washington  came  into  active  and  respon- 
sible life  by  attaining  his  age  of  twenty-one ;  and  from  that  time, 
through  the  vast  extent  of  our  country,  in  its  almost  infinitely 
diversified  relations,  what  measure  of  good,  I  appeal  to  all  who  lioar 
me,  what  measure  of  good  can  be  seen  in  the  whole  (hat  shall  not 
be  confessed  to  have  intimate  reference  to  him  ?  A  lieutenant  of 
the  Virginia  militia,  he  was,  the  very  next  year,  directing  the  ope- 
rations on  one  side  that  began  that  splendid  contest  for  empire 
between  the  two  greatest  nations  of  the  other  continent,  the  battle 
of  life  or  death,  for  the  mastery  of  this.  In  one  year  more,  when 
the  army  of  General  Braddock,  with  all  ihi-  supplies  that  the  wealth 

24 


186  APPENDIX. 

of  Britain  could  furnish  to  her  regular  troops,  was  defeated  with 
such  tremendous  slaughter  as  shot  a  thrill  of  trepidation  through 
our  long  Atlantic  border,  from  the  Savannah  to  the  Kennebeck,  the 
hardihood  and  sagacity  of  this  militia-major  seemed  alone  to  avert 
the  terrible  consequence.     From  that  hour  to  his  death,  the  story 
of  his  life  is  engraven  on  your  memory ;  for  it  is  the  history  of  his 
country  in  every  moment  of  her  most  complicated,  her  most  dan- 
gerous, her  most  successful,  her  most  honorable  situations.     Let  it 
be,  in  any  threatening  aspect  of  our  future,  a  perpetual  encourage- 
ment in  the  tenfold  more  fearful  temptations  of  national  glory ;  a 
beacon  warning,  as  more  than  once  we  feel  it  was,  when  our  coun- 
try was  saved,  on  the  perilous  verge  of  ruin,  at  one  time  by  the 
firmness,  again  by  the  wisdom,  and  best  of  all  by  the  integrity  of 
Washington.     Of  his  virtues,  you  have  no  need  to  learn  from  the 
records  of  the  past,  that  hardly  an  equal,  never  a  superior,  graces 
the  annals  of  humanity ;  but  to  the  proofs  of  his  consummate  saga- 
city, my  friends,  I  recommend  a  more  general  recourse.     To  his 
civic  wisdom,  after  the  petty  perils  of  war  were  dissipated,  to  his 
greatness  of  forecast  in  guiding  us  through  the  stormiest  years 
of  convulsion  in  opinion,  extravagance  in  theory,  and  recklessness 
in  action,  —  often  overruling  the  majority,  that,  to  gratify  their 
cherished  prejudices,  would  have  run  to  destruction  ;  whose  head- 
long impulses  derided  his  counsel,  and  obeyed  the  dictation  of  a 
foreign  state,  until  the  ever-present  sense  of  his  integrity  calmed 
their  passion  enough  to  enable  them  to  see  their  interest,  and  almost 
to  fulfil  their  duty,  —  to  the  rare  union  of  such  virtue  and  such 
.  wisdom  do  we  owe  most  of  our  present  happiness,  if  not  even  our 
national  existence.     His  greatness  was  of  a  kind  that  desires  not 
the  glittering  array  of  publicity :  he  needed  not  to  call  on  his  fellow- 
citizens  to  see  how  wise  was  his  plan,  to  behold  how  sagacious  were 
his  methods,  to  inquire  into  the  infamy  that  threw  aspei'sion  on  his 
motives.     Now  we  can  observe  that  his  whole  character  is  beyond 
all  defence,  for  it  is  above  all  assault.     From  the  enlightened  con- 
versation of  all  foreigners,  as  by  my  own  remark  on  the  feelings  of 
the  people  universally  in  Great  Britain,  I  have  fixed  in  my  mind 
this  conclusion,  that  the  richest  inheritance  we  have  received,  the 


APPENDIX.  •187 

surest  bulwark  we  can  erect,  is,  that  Washington  was  ours.  "When- 
ever we  desire  to  weigh  public  men,  to  discriminate  between  a 
statesman  and  a  politician,  how  can  we  be  at  a  loss,  how  err  in  the 
decision  ?  Constantly  have  succeeded,  thank  Heaven !  a  few  in  the 
land,  who  truly  reverenced  the  principles  of  our  first  President,  and 
advised  the  republic  of  the  safety  of  his  example.  But  a  wish  is 
sometimes  indulged  by  those  who  could  not  imitate,  that  the  lustre 
of  his  virtue  may  not  impede  their  course.  In  the  days  of  prosper- 
ity, you  may  suppose  that  there  is  no  call  for  such  stern  statesmen 
as  will  not  bend  right  to  expediency,  and  prefer  to  utter  rather  the 
true  than  the  pleasant ;  you  will  have  ci'owds  to  seek  your  favor, 
who  will  affect  the  name,  without  the  service,  of  patriots ;  who 
regard  not  the  honor  that  belongs  to  a  ruler,  so  much  as  the  profit 
of  a  politician ;  who  would  strain  after  office  for  its  emolument,  and 
most  justly  slight  the  vain  hope  "  to  read  their  history  in  a  nation's 
eyes."  In  the  deeds  of  that  man,  in  the  long  years  of  his  duties, 
who  built  up  our  renown  and  our  happiness  to  their  unexampled 
height,  Avithout  selfish  thought  of  his  own  happiness  or  glory,  you  can 
discern  the  true  test  of  a  public  servant,  and  learn  by  contrast  how 
deep  should  be  your  contempt  for  the  ever-ready  candidate,  with  no 
other  qualification  than  the  arts  of  a  huckster  demagogue.  Think, 
my  friends,  when  you  have  an  honor  to  bestow,  of  him  "  first  in 
war,  first  in  peace,"  and  you  will  not  mistake  in  your  judgment  of 
the  meanest  reptile  that  crawls,  nor  be  cheated  by  the  most  dis- 
honest of  all  traders,  —  a  tradmg  politician. 

But  I  must  not,  Mr.  Chairman,  further  abuse  the  indulgence  of 
this  numerous  meeting.  Time  is  too  precious  for  me  to  do  any  thing 
more  than  to  express  my  confident  anticipation,  that  when  your 
children  of  the  third  and  fourth  generation,  a  hundred  years  hence, 
celebrate  this  birthday,  Lancaster  will  be  seen,  in  her  agriculture, 
her  manufactures,  her  edifices,  public  and  private,  her  groves,  her 
fruits,  her  flowers,  —  in  every  thing  that  now  occupies  the  thoughts 
of  her  people,  except  the  training  of  her  children,  which  can  hai-dly 
admit  of  improvement,  —  to  be  as  far  above  the  mark  of  her  pres- 
ent felicity,  as  is  the  present  superior  to  that  of  a  hundred  years 
back ;  and  I  will  cease  rambling  longer  by  proposing  a  sentiment : 


188  APPENDIX. 

"  May  the  next  centennial  celebration  here  be  as  happy  in  refer- 
ring to  its  chief  glory  in  the  path  of  a  hundred  years,  as  we  of  ^.his 
age  have  been  in  our  possession  of  Washington ! " 


13.  Levi  Lincoln.  Fearless  amid  the  stormy  trials  of  political  life,  the  kindness 
of  his  heart  and  the  graces  of  his  manners  have  encircled  with  a  crown  the  hours  of 
his  retirement. 

The  honorable  gentleman  responded  to  this  sentiment  in  a  few 
eloquent  remarks. 


14.  The  American  Antiquarian  Society. 

In  reply  to  our  request  for  the  response  to  this  sentiment,  we 
have  received  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Edwakd  E.  Hale,  which 
will  be  found  under  the  head  of  "  Letters." 


15.  The  Medical  FACTJiiXr  of  Boston. 

Dr.  J.  V.  C.  Smith,  a  native  of  Leominster,  though  a  resident 
now  of  Boston,  replied  to  this  toast,  but  has  not  furnished  us  with  a 
copy  of  his  remarks. 


16.  The  Ancient  Town  of  Salem.  The  pioneer  town  of  Worcester  County  sends 
greeting  to  her  pioneer  sister  of  Essex. 

The  following  remarks  were  made  by  the  Hon.  Chakles  W. 
Upham,  of  Salem :  — 

Mr.  President,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  In  obeying  the 
call  to  respond  to  the  sentiment  in  honor  of  the  city  of  my  abode, 
allow  me  to  say  that  it  gave  me  the  liveliest  satisfaction  to  hear 
that  the  people  of  Lancaster  were  preparing  to  observe  with  due 
ceremonials,  and  with  the  festivities  and  mutual  congratulations  it 
demands  and  deserves,  this  its  second  centennial  anniversary. 


APPENDIX.  1 89 

It  is  well  for  the  Massachusetts  towns  to  observe  commemo- 
rative occasions.  We  have  a  noble  ancestry :  we  ought  to  keep 
them  alive  for  ever  in  our  memory.  The  incidents  of  our  early 
annals  were,  in  many  respects,  very  remarkable :  they  were  romantic 
and  affecting  to  the  highest  degree,  —  often  distressing  and  fearful 
at  the  time,  but,  in  their  remote  influences  and  final  effects,  most 
benignant  and  auspicious.  They  suggest  grateful  and  salutary 
reflections,  and  lead  the  meditative  thought  to  the  recognition  of  an 
overruling  Providence,  more  than  almost  any  other  chapter  of 
human  history. 

Local  attachment,  —  a  love  for  the  homes  of  our  childhood  and 
youth,  for  the  scenes  that  witnessed  the  experiences  and  contain  the 
ashes  of  our  fathers,  —  is  instinctive  in  the  human  breast ;  and 
every  wise  and  good  man  cherishes  it.  It  is  one  of  the  most  etli- 
cient  and  auspicious  elements  of  national  character ;  and  nowhere 
ought  it  to  be  cherished  more  fervently  than  in  these  Massachusetts 
villages,  —  nowhere  more  than  in  Lancaster. 

Where  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  —  where  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  —  has  a  spectacle  been  presented  to  the  eye  or  the  heart  of 
man  more  delightful  and  animating,  more  soul-elevating  and  sublime, 
than  this  lovely  village  presents  to-day?  Surely  nature  never 
wore  so  deep  or  so  rich  a  green,  —  never  did  she  breathe  a  more 
benignant  influence  upon  the  heart  of  the  beholder,  than  here  at 
this  hour.  I  call  upon  our  travelled  friends,  upon  Mr.  Savage  and 
Dr.  Smith,  to  say  whether,  in  all  their  wanderings  in  the  father-land 
or  the  remote  East,  their  eyes  ever  fell  upon  a  scene  surpassing  in 
loveliness  that  which  surrounds  us.  Where  is  there  a  sweeter 
field  than  yonder  meadow,  shining  in  beauty  and  teeming  witli  fertile 
fragrance,  on  the  sides  of  the  Nashua,  as  it  winds  through  the  thick, 
overhanging  foliage  that  almost  veils  from  sight  its  placid  and 
mirror  surface?  Where  can  any  thing  be  found  approaching  the 
majestic,  wide-branching,  towering,  and  graceful  elms,  that  adorn 
these  fields,  and  line  these  broad  roads  ?  The  sun,  as  he  rose  in 
the  splendors  of  this  summer  morning,  greeted  by  tlie  booming 
cannon  and  the  pealing  bell,  and  by  grateful  throngs  gathering  to 
the  scene  of  their  fond   recollections,  and   as   he   has   circled  tiie 


190  APPENDIX. 

heavens,  has  not  shone  upon  a  purer,  deeper,  more  rational  happi- 
ness than  we  are  experiencing  to-day. 

The  circumstances  of  my  early  life,  like  those  of  my  friend  Mr. 
Savage,  to  which  he  has  referred,  allowing  no  permanent  place  of 
residence,  enabled  me  to  regard  Lancaster  as  entitled,  as  much 
perhaps  as  any  other  place,  to  be  considered  as  my  local  habitation. 
My  summer  college  vacations  were  spent  here.  Many  of  my  early 
impressions  of  the  beauties  of  nature  and  the  pleasures  of  rural  life 
were  received  here.  The  types  and  models,  which  memory  has 
ever  recalled  in  subsequent  years,  of  loveliness  of  landscape,  were 
originally  derived  from  this  "  happy  valley."  I  can  see  now,  in  the 
visions  of  the  long  past,  the  summer  cloud,  as  it  gathered  around 
the  base  of  Wachusett,  and,  thickening  as  it  advanced,  parted  at  the 
iurbaned  summit  of  George's  Hill,  and  poured  out  its  showers 
and  spread  its  rainbows,  as  it  sailed  off  on  the  north  and  south,  and 
disappeared  in  the  eastern  horizon. 

With  these  recollections  and  these  associations,  I  felt  myself  as 
strongly  and  as  warmly  addressed  by  the  "  Welcome  Home  " 
inscribed  on  your  walls  to-day,  as  any  native  of  the  spot. 

Further,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  felt  that  I  had  a  right  to  accept  the 
invitation  with  which  I  was  honored,  to  be  present  at  the  great 
family  gathering  of  old  Lancaster ;  for  I  helped  to  educate  one  of 
her  fairest  daughters.  I  taught  a  district  school  in  Bolton  ;  and  so 
I  did  in  Leominster,  in  the  district  to  which  the  Hon.  David  Wilder 
belongs.  While  he  was  making  his  admirable  speech,  I  felt  like 
crying  out,  "  That  is  my  thunder."  I  claim,  indeed,  to  be  at  home 
in  this  whole  region,  am  proud  of  its  virtues,  rejoice  in  its  pros- 
perity, and  participate  in  the  fond  affection  with  which  its  inhabi- 
tants cling,  and  its  children  return,  to  it. 

We  are  assembled  beneath  the  trees,  and  on  the  land,  of  the  late 
Captain  Samuel  Ward.  More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
elapsed  since  his  removal  from  the  scene ;  but  his  memory,  I  am 
sure,  is  as  fresh  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  elder  inhabitants  of  the 
town  as  it  is  in  mine.  He  was  the  friend  of  my  father,  and  the 
friend  of  my  youth.  Upon  hearing  of  my  being  in  college  at  Cam- 
bridge, he  sent  for  me,  and  gave  me  a  home  under  his  roof.     He 


APPENDIX.  191 

was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  in  the  best  sense  of  that  expres- 
sion. His  mansion  was  conseci'ated  to  a  generous  and  simple 
hospitality,  and  was  frequented  by  the  best  society  of  all  parts  of 
the  Commonwealth.  The  circle  of  his  friends  embraced  the  prin- 
cipal persons  of  his  day.  For  cordial  and  unaffected  kindness,  for 
keen  but  most  benignant  humoi*,  for  acute  and  never-erring  discern- 
ment of  character,  he  had  a  reputation  that  extended  far  and  wide, 
and  still  lives  in  choicest  traditions,  and  in  anecdotes  that  will  never 
cease  to  be  cherished  and  repeated.  His  influence  upon  this  town 
and  parish  was  invaluable.  At  that  time,  sir,  the  town  and  parisli 
of  Lancaster  were  identical.  Long  after  every  other  town  had 
been  divided  and  broken  into  fragments  of  contending  sects,  the 
people  of  Lancaster,  up  to  the  period  of  my  recollection,  adhered 
to  the  beautiful  usages  of  the  olden  time  ;  and,  with  one  mind  and 
one  heart,  worshipped,  under  one  roof,  the  God  of  their  fathers. 
To  the  preservation  of  this  union  and  harmony,  Captain  "Ward  most 
emmently  contributed.  By  his  wisdom,  his  wit,  his  kindness,  and 
his  vigilance,  alienation  and  disagreement  were  nipped  in  the  bud. 
He  was  a  conservator  of  the  peace,  a  "  man  of  Ross : "  — 

"Is  there  a  variance  1     Open  but  his  door, 
Ealked  are  the  courts,  and  contest  is  no  more." 

He  was  a  benevolent  man.  In  the  use  of  his  abundance,  he  contrib- 
uted to  the  relief  and  the  aid  of  many.  I  will  only  mention,  in 
illustration  of  his  wise  and  beneficent  liberality,  that  he  enabled  a 
young  relative,  a  son  of  Worcester  county  and  "Worcester  city,  to 
obtain  an  education  at  Harvard  University,  which,  based  u])0ii 
superior  natural  endowments,  and  followed  up  by  great  subsequent 
culture  and  opportunities,  has  resulted  in  giving  to  the  conntry  and 
the  world  the  "  Historian  of  the  United  States." 

There  is  one  other  person  in  the  history  of  Lancaster,  to  whom 
my  feelings  compel  me  on  this  occasion  to  bear  a  grateful  testimony, 
la  my  youth,  I  enjoyed  the  friendship,  the  liospitality,  the  cniiuscl, 
and  the  patronage  of  the  late  reverend  and  vcneraVile  Natlianicl 
Thayer.  He  was  indeed  a  good  man,  a  devoted  [)astor,  and  a  true 
Christian.  '    His  character  has  been  traced  to-day  by  a  Ju-I   :tnil 


192  APPENDIX. 

discriminating  pen.  His  virtues  have  been  recalled  to  mind  by 
various  allusions  and  associations.  My  heart,  with  its  deepest  sen- 
sibility, unites  in  every  ti*ibute  to  his  memory,  in  every  testimonial 
of  his  worth,  in  every  recollection  of  his  honored  name. 

In  the  sentiment  to  which  I  am  called  to  respond,  you  were  kind 
enough  to  associate  the  county  of  Essex  with  the  county  of  Wor- 
cester: allow  me,  in  taking  my  seat,  to  give  the  following:  — 

"  The  County  of  Worcester.  It  is  generally  spoken  of  as 
the  Heart  of  the  Commonwealth.  We,  who  live  in  other  sections 
of  the  State,  cheerfully  and  cordially  acknowledge  that  the  heart  is 
in  the  right  place." 


17.  A  Paradox.  —  The  Master  Printer,  who  has  always  been  a  'Prentice  (Pren- 
tiss), a  Type  of  a  Rev.  Prototype.  One  was  a  faithful  watchman  in  the  Church  of 
Lancaster;  the  other  has  been  a  Keene  Sentinel  among  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire. 

The  Hon.  John  Prentiss,  of  Keene,  having  been  called  on, 
responded. 

Mr.  President,  —  I  am  not  a  native,  neither  have  I  ever  resided 
in  Lancaster.  I  am  therefore  indebted,  for  this  courtesy,  to  the 
simple  fact  of  being  a  descendant,  "  the  type  of  a  reverend  proto- 
type ; "  "  one  who  was  a  faithful  watchman  in  the  church  of  Lan- 
caster," —  a  'Prentice,  yes,  "  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed."  You  have  referred  to  me,  sir,  as  having  been  a  "  Sentinel 
among  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire."  Your  toast  is  full  of  figures, 
—  I  must  get  clear  of  them  as  fast  as  possible.  It  is  true  that, 
for  forty-eight  years,  I  had  the  oversight  of  a  press.  It  does  not 
become  me  to  speak  of  the  good  I  may  have  done  in  this  long 
period ;  but  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  authors  and  publishers,  by 
appending  the  recommendation  of  an  excellent  friend  who  lately 
died  in  the  insane  hospital.  He  was  earnest  in  commending  Uie 
Sentinel  as  really  one  of  the  very  best  newspapers  published.  "  In 
the  domestic  department,"  he  said,  I  was  "judicious  in  my  selec- 
tions "  [probably  from  industriously  collecting  all  the  horrid  murders, 


APPENDIX.  193 

shocking  railroad  and  other  accidents,  of  the  week].  In  the  foreign 
I  was  capital,  keeping  every  reader  well  posted  up ;  "  but  in  the 
moral  and  religious  department,"  said  he,  "  he  's  a  lohaler."  So 
much  for  the  type  and  the  prototype. 

During  several  years  of  the  last  century,  I  resided  in  the  nei"h- 
boring  town  of  Leominster,  and  then  well  knew  many  of  your 
excellent  townsmen,  —  your  Sprague,  your  Stedman,  Rice,  the 
Whitings,  Fisher,  your  distinguished  surgeon  Dr.  Carter,  and  your 
beloved,  then  sole  minister,  the  late  Di'.  Thayer.  Dr.  Thayer  wa3 
present  at  two  ordaining  councils  in  Keene ;  officiated  in  forminf 
the  Unitarian  church  there,  in  1825 ;  and  baptized  a  beloved 
daughter,  who  lingered  but  a  few  hours  after  the  ordination  services. 
With  General  John  Whiting  I  had  pleasant  business  relations  in 
after  years.  He  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen ;  but,  although  he 
could  readily  face  the  bullets  or  the  bayonets  of  an  enemy,  he  could 
never  march  up  to  the  official  and  dignified  outward  bearing  of  his 
excellent  brother,  'Squire  Timothy. 

Many  of  our  citizens  in  Keene,  who  have  now  departed,  highly 
respected  and  worthy  men,  emigrated  from  Lancaster.  Deacons 
Abijah  Wilder  and  Elijah  Carter  were  of  the  number ;  also  the 
venerable  Abel  Wilder,  still  among  the  living.  We  count  also 
many  excellent  mothers,  living  and  dead,  natives  of  Lancaster. 

Mr.  President,  this  is  a  day  for  pleasant  reminiscences,  and  my 
allotted  minutes  are  fast  slipping  away.  My  maternal  grandfather 
was  the  Rev.  John  Mellen,  of  Chocksett,  now  Sterling,  and  one 
of  the  numerous  children  of  Mother  Lancaster.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Prentice.  He  was  a  strong  man  of  his 
times,  with  sound  learning ;  one  of  the  "  olden  time,"  —  stern  in 
his  manner;  orthodox,  in  the  general  acceptation  of  the  term,  as  his 
numerous  printed  discourses  show  (as  were  all  his  contemporaries 
at  that  period,  excepting  Mr.  Rogers  of  Leominster  *)  ;  and  I  well 


*  An  excellent  History  of  Leominster,  by  the  Hon.  David  Wilder,  of  Leominster, 
has  just  been  published,  containing  the  charges  and  results  of  Council  in  Mr.  Rogers's 
case.  His  views,  not  materially  dilToring  from  those  of  a  large  body  of  Christians 
at  the  present  day  in  this  Commonwealth,  were  then  deemed  heretical,  and  he  was 
deposed.     He  preached  to  his  few  adherents,  however,  for  many  years  afterwords. 

26 


194  APPENDIX. 

remember  that  no  wig  exceeded  his  in  size.  He  took  part  in  the 
memorable  controversy,  before  the  Revolution,  about  faith  and 
works  (in  Worcester  County),  Arminianism  and  the  Jive  points ; 
and  had  for  a  competitor  the  elder  John  Adams,  then  a  student  at 
law  and  schoolmaster  in  Worcester.* 

I  shall  cut  nobody's  corners,  I  trust,  by  relating  a  reminiscence 
of  old  Confederation  times.  At  this  period,  it  was  common  for  one 
of  the  deacons  to  line  the  hymn,  as  it  was  called,  in  church.  There 
were  then  but  few  books,  and  fewer  imported  singing-books.  My 
grandfather  had  for  some  time  been  dissatisfied  with  the  mode,  and 
perhaps  this  was  heightened  by  the  bad  reading  of  his  deacon ;  for 
there  were  but  very  few  good  readers  in  that  day,  as  in  this. 
On  a  cloudy  day,  we  will  presume,  he  gave  out  Watts's  psalm, 
commencing, 

"  Along  the  Idumean  road, 
Away  from  Bozrah's  gate." 

The  good  deacon  may  not  have  rubbed  his  spectacles  that  morning, 
or  his  book  may  have  been  thumbed  too  long ;  but  he  read  the 
two  lines  on  this  wise : 

"  Along  the  Idgemugeon  road, 
Away  from  Boozy's  gate." 

This  was  too  bad,  —  quite  beyond  endurance.  The  parson  set 
about  forming  a  choir,  and  the  lining  of  the  hymn  was  soon  dis- 
pensed with.     But  many  of  the  old  people  could  not  forgive  him ; 

*  His  son,  the  late  Chief  Justice  Mellen,  of  Maine,  once  informed  me  that  his  father, 
as  he  advanced  in  age,  did  not  adhere  to  all  the  theological  opinions  of  his  middle 
life.  After  he  settled  in  Hanover,  about  the  year  1795,  his  children,  seven  in  number, 
all  housekeepers,  and  residing  within  the  limits  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire, 
met  together,  with  the  parents  (sixteen  in  the  whole),  adopted  rules  and  regulations, 
chose  a  President  and  Secretary,  and  agreed  to  meet  annually  at  the  house  of  some 
one  of  the  members  in  succession,  and  spend  at  least  two  days  together.  By  one  of 
the  articles,  vacancies  by  death  were  to  be  filled  from  the  next  generation.  These 
happy  meetings,  where  a  record  was  kept  of  births,  marriages,  and  deaths,  and  other 
important  events,  were  continued  more  than  thirty  years.  In  our  family,  as  the 
elder  branch,  are  preserved  excellent  portraits  of  the  father  and  mother.  The  can- 
vas strikingly  speaks  out  prominent  traits  of  character. 


APPENDIX.  195 

and,  with  some  other  troubles,  he  took  up  his  connection  with  the 
parish ;  as  my  good  old  aunt  informed  me  thirty  or  forty  years 
ago,  "  he  gained  his  point,  but  lost  Ms  parish."  He  resided  several 
years  in  Cambridge,  and  was  afterwards  settled  in  Hanover,  where 
he  continued  until  advanced  age  caused  him  to  ask  to  be  relieved. 
In  his  last  years,  he  resided  with  my  mother,  then  a  widow  in 
South  Reading.  The  mind  was  doubtless  somewhat  impaired  with 
the  body.  The  family  consisted  principally  of  females ;  and  the  old 
gentleman,  at  times,  was  somewhat  difficult  to  please.  At  any 
rate,  things  did  not  always  go  right.  One  day  he  was  overheard 
talking  to  himself,  —  "  Solomon,  Solomon !  they  call  him  the 
wisest  man  that  ever  lived.  He  was  the  greatest  fool,  or  he  would 
never  have  had  so  many  women  about  Mm."  His  monument, 
erected  by  his  children,  is  in  the  old  burying-ground  at  South 
Reading. 

Mr.  President,  I  give  you  as  a  sentiment :  — 

"  Time-honored  Lancaster."  Her  "  lines  have  fallen  to  her 
in  pleasant  places." 


18.  The  old  Schoolmasters  op  Lancaster.  We  remember  them  with  gratitude. 
To  their  labors  and  faithfulness  we  are  indebted  for  much  of  our  prosperity.  We 
expect  some  of  them  to  rise  and  answer  like  a  Proctor. 


The  remax'ks  of  the  Hon.  John  W.  Proctor,  of  Danvers. 

Mr.  Chairman,  —  I  am  under  great  obligations  for  that  kindness 
which  has  for  thirty-five  years  borne  in  mind  my  name  in  connec- 
tion with  the  schools  of  Lancaster,  though  I  had  not  anticipated 
being  called  on  to  answer  in  their  behalf.  But,  sir,  when  our  New- 
England  schools  are  mentioned,  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  be 
entirely  silent ;  notwithstanding  there  may  be  others  much  better 
entitled  to  respond  for  the  Lancaster  School  {s). 

It  was  my  privilege,  sir,  to  succeed  Mr.  Sparks  in  the  caro  of  the 
school  established  in  this  place  by  the  Messrs.  Cleveland,  Tliaycr, 
Higginson,  Ward,  and  others,  which  for  a  time  had  some  reputa- 


196  APPENDIX. 

tion ;  and  which,  if  judged  by  its  fruits,  is  still  worthy  of  remem- 
brance. Its  history  affords  a  striking  illustration  of  the  remark, 
that 

"  Large  streams  from  little  fountains  flow," 

when  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  President  of  Harvard  College,  the 
biographer  of  Washington,  and  the  most  eminent  historian  of 
America,  once  occupied  the  humble  tenement  on  yonder  old  Com- 
mon, in  which  this  school  was  begun.  I  remember,  sir,  when  I 
first  came  into  town,  and  sought  the  place  in  which  I  was  to  labor, 
I  found  it  necessary  to  make  my  obeisance  before  I  could  enter ; 
and  when  in,  with  the  boys  around  me,  to  be  careful  how  I  turned 
about,  lest  I  should  tread  upon  their  toes.  No  desk  of  mahogany,  or 
cushioned  chairs,  were  there  ;  but  the  pine-table  and  the  three-legged 
stool  were  the  best  accommodations  afforded.  Nevertheless,  progress 
was  made ;  and  I  am  not  quite  sure  it  was  any  the  less  for  the  want 
of  the  greater  conveniences  of  the  present  day.  Where  there  is  a 
will,  there  is  a  way ;  and  those  who  are  determined  to  learn  will 
learn,  whatever  may  be  the  obstacles  interposed. 

Of  the  schools  of  the  town  at  this  time,  my  own  observation  will 
not  authorize  me  to  speak.  But,. if  they  are  to  be  judged  by  the 
reputation  of  those  who  have  watched  over  them,  they  will  at  no 
time  be  found  to  have  been  wanting. 

When  I  came  into  town  to-day,  sir,  I  inquired  for  my  old  school- 
room, and  found  that  it  had  disappeared ;  and  so  with  the  building 
that  next  followed  it.  But,  sir,  I  was  gx-atified  to  learn  that  the 
stately  structure  on  yonder  eminence,  almost  rivalling  the  beautiful 
church  that  came  into  being  while  I  resided  here,  is  a  seminary  for 
the  qualification  of  teachers.  I  know  of  no  place  better  suited 
for  such  an  institution  than  this  beautiful  vale  of  the  Nashua,  with 
its  magnificent  elms,  and  extended  meads  clothed  with  luxui'iant 
verdure.  Central  as  it  is,  in  the  midst  of  a  population  distinguished 
for  industry  and  intelligence,  I  can  see  no  reason  why  the  sun  of 
science  shall  not  radiate  its  beams  from  this  place  through  the 
land. 

When  first  advised  of  this  bicentennial  gathering,  my  sympathies 


APPENDIX.  197 

were  deeply  enlisted,  as  I  had  just  been  engaged  in  reviewing  the 
historical  events  of  that  part  of  old  Salem  from  which  I  come ;  one 
of  the  very  few  towns  in  Massachusetts  of  older  date  than  Lancas- 
ter. While  Lancaster  was  smitten  with  the  tomahawk  and  scalping- 
knife  of  the  native  sons  of  the  forest,  Salem  was  still  more  griev- 
ously smitten  with  the  cruder  vagaries  of  misguided  fanaticism,  to 
which  my  friend,  the  late  Mayor,  has  so  eloquently  alluded.  I  was 
most  happy,  sir,  to  hear  him  award  ample  justice  to  that  emi- 
nent citizen  of  your  town,  in  whose  beautiful  grove  we  are  now 
assembled.  He  was  indeed  a  gentleman,  whose  urbanity  and  intel- 
ligence are  worthy  to  be  perpetuated  on  the  brightest  page  of  your 
history.  But,  sir,  while  we  call  to  mind  the  sufferings  endured  by 
our  fathers  in  their  frontier  settlements,  by  what  was  deemed  the 
cruelties  of  the  savage,  are  we  to  forget  entirely  the  provoca- 
tions the  savages  had  for  these  cruelties?  Look  at  them,  sir,  in 
the  quiet  possession  of  their  own  corn-fields,  fishing-streams,  and 
hunting-grounds,  gradually  crowded  away  from  them  all ;  and, 
what  is  worse,  deprived  of  their  reason  by  the  use  of  the  intoxica- 
ting liquors  diffused  among  them  by  the  white  men,  —  and  who  will 
dare  to  say  that  the  red  men  of  Massachusetts,  with  the  brave 
Philip  at  their  head,  ever  inflicted  unreasonable  cruelties  ? 

Bearing  in  mind  your  salutary  admonition,  "  Be  short,"  1  beg 
leave  to  congratulate  you,  and  all  concerned,  on  the  splendid  success 
of  this  day's  celebration ;  and  to  propose  as  a  sentiment  one  that 
I  had  the  honor  to  announce  one  year  ago,  at  our  celebration  in 
Danvers. 

"  Education,  a  debt  due  from  the  present  to  future  genera- 
tions." 


19.  The  Citizens  of  Lancaster,  —  so  excellcut  in  character,  that  oven  their 
Wilder  sons  and  daughters,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  are  and  have  been  highly 
esteemed.     They  are  represented  hero  to-day  by  their  Marshall. 

The  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  of  Dorchester,  inadt-  the 
following  remarks :  — 


198  APPENDIX. 

Mr.  President,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  It  gives  me 
unfeigned  pleasure  to  respond  to  your  call,  and  gratefully  to 
acknowledge  the  honor  conferred  on  me  by  the  sentiment  just 
announced. 

At  no  small  personal  sacrifice,  I  am  here  to-day  to  exchange 
mutual  congratulations,  and  to  participate  in  the  festive  and  intel- 
lectual entertainment  of  this  occasion.  When  I  first  received  the 
cordial  invitation  of  your  Committee,  I  felt  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  indulge  myself  with  this  privilege ;  but  the  more 
I  thought  of  you,  and  my  kindred  still  residing  among  you,  —  the 
more  I  thought  of  my  venerable  ancestry,  and  of  the  place  which 
has  given  most  of  them  both  birth  and  burial,  —  the  more  I  felt 
drawn  towards  you  by  an  invisible  power ;  and  I  am  here  for  the 
plain  reason  that  I  could  not  resist  the  inducements  to  be  present. 
To  have  remained  at  home,  and  have  taken  no  part  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  this  interesting  occasion,  would  not  only  have  done  violence 
to  my  own  feelings,  but  would  have  been  an  apparent  disregard 
of  the  memory  and  worth  of  my  fathers. 

I  am  allied,  Mr.  President,  to  the  good  people  of  Lancaster  and 
Sterling,  not  merely  by  a  common  humanity  and  citizenship,  but 
by  the  closer  ties  of  consanguinity  and  a  cherished  ancestry.  My 
honored  father,  who  has  resided  in  Rindge,  N.  H.,  for  more  than 
sixty  years,  was  born  among  you,  and  here  passed  the  first  sixteen 
years  of  his  life.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  large  and  respectable 
family,  some  of  whom  still  remain ;  and,  God  be  praised,  he  is  here 
to-day,  with  others  of  the  Wilder  family,  some  of  whom  have  come 
up  from  a  distant  part  of  our  country  to  participate  with  us  in  the 
pleasures  of  this  meeting. 

My  grandfather,  Captain  Ephraim  Wilder,  inherited  the  place  of 
his  father,  a  gentleman  of  the  same  name  and  title,  and  resided  in 
the  first  house  in  Sterling,  on  the  main  road,  just  after  you  pass 
the  boundaries  of  this  town.  This  estate  was  originally  in  the. 
second  precinct  of  Lancaster,  and  has  been  in  the  family  for  a  cen- 
tury or  more,  and  I  hope  will  always  remain  in  the  hands  of  my 
kindred.  Captain  Wilder  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Convention  for  the  adoption   of  the   Constitution    of  the   United 


APPENDIX.  199 

States  in  1787,  and  one  of  the  only  seven  members  from  Worcester 
County  who  voted  in  favor  of  this  memorable  document.  He  was 
also  for  many  years  a  representative  from  the  town  of  Sterling  in 
the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two, 
universally  lamented ;  and  his  memory  is  cherished  to  this  day. 

In  the  presence  of  so  many  matrons  and  maidens,  it  would  be 
unpardonable  did  I  not  allude  to  my  excellent  grandmother.  She 
was  Miss  Lucretia  Locke,  the  sister  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Locke, 
President  of  Harvard  College,  also  one  of  the  citizens  of  Lancaster, 
of  the  stock  of  John  Locke,  the  great  metaphysician  and  philosopher, 
and  who  first,  if  you  will  permit  the  paiody,  v'S-Iocked  the  "  Human 
Understanding." 

The  Wilders  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  town,  as  we 
have  been  informed  by  the  orator  of  the  day.  They  were  also 
engaged  in  the  Indian  and  Revolutionary  Wars ;  and  some  of  them 
sacrificed  their  lives  and  their  fortunes  in  defence  of  their  rights, 
their  homes,  and  their  c6untry.  Time  will  not  allow  me  to  speak 
of  other  branches  of  this  extensive  family  than  those  with  which  I 
am  immediately  connected ;  and,  besides,  there  are  distinguished 
representatives  present  who  need  no  man  to  speak  for  them.  They 
are  abundantly  able  to  speak  for  themselves.  I  may,  however,  be 
permitted  to  quote,  in  relation  to  the  Wilder  family,  what  the  editor 
of  the  "Worcester  Magazine"  (vol.  ii.  p.  45)  is  pleased  to  say, 
"  that  of  all  the  ancient  Lancaster  families,  there  is  no  one  that  has 
sustained  so  many  offices  as  this,"  —  a  fact  which  may  be  ascribed 
either  to  their  abilities  or  to  their  laudable  ambition ;  and  you  will 
permit  me,  their  lineal  descendant,  but  unworthy  representative,  to 
appropriate,  with  some  modification,  the  words  of  one  of  old, "  Seeing 
that  others  glory  in  their  ancestry,  I  more,  the  Wildest  of  the 
Wilders." 

So  fai'  as  my  knowledge  extends,  our  worthy  ancestors  lived  here 
in  all  good  conscience  and  perfect  peace  among  themselves.  I 
never  heard  of  but  one  quarrel  among  them,  and  that  was  in  the 
church ;  and  whether  it  ought  to  be  accounted  an  honor  or  a 
reproach,  you  shall  judge  when  you  have  heard  the  story. 

When  recruits  were  called  for  to  quell  the  Shays  Rebellion,  the 


200  APPENDIX. 

citizens  of  Lancaster  assembled  in  their  meeting-house.  The  pre- 
liminaries having  been  arranged,  the  drum  was  beat  through  the 
aisles  of  the  church  for  volunteers.  One  of  our  family,  afterwards 
a  most  worthy  deacon  of  Rev.  Dr.  Thayer's  church,  and  well  known 
to  many  who  now  hear  me,  was  the  first  to  volunteer ;  and,  although 
but  eighteen  years  of  age,  filed  in  immediately  after  the  drummer. 
As  the  music  mai'ched  round  and  round,  a  distant  relative 
reproached  him  for  his  youth  and  rashness,  to  whom  my  uncle  gave 
the  caution  not  to  repeat  the  offence.  But,  when  he  marched  round 
again,  and  heard  the  remark  renewed,  he  stepped  from  the  ranks 
into  the  pew,  and  gave  the  offender  a  few  blows  from  the  rod  of 
retributive  justice,  not  perhaps  exactly  in  accordance  with  military 
discipline.  This  exhibition  of  buoyant  spirit  so  awoke  the  courage 
of  the  company,  that  the  complement  of  volunteers  was  soon  mus- 
tered ;  and  the  next  mox'ning  the  young  hero  was  on  his  way  in 
pursuit  of  the  rebel,  and  contributed  his  full  share  in  suppressing 
the  insurrection,  and  restoring  public  order  and  peace. 

But,  Mr.  President,  he,  and  the  venerable  men  whose  precious 
memory  we  have  met  to  embalm,  and  whom  we  delight  to  honor, 
have  ceased  from  their  labors ;  but  surely  their  works  do  follow 
them.  The  institutions  which  they  founded  are  our  richest  inherit- 
ance. 

As  we  turn  from  the  fathers  to  the  children,  how  wonderful  the 
improvements  which  everywhere  salute  our  eyes  !  The  wilderness, 
once  terrible  by  the  howling  of  savage  beasts  and  more  savage  men, 
has  become  a  lovely  landscape,  with  highly  cultivated  fields,  fruitful 
orchards,  and  smiling  gardens.  Those  rude  huts  and  log-cabins 
have  given  place  to  these  commodious  and  elegant  houses ;  those 
bloody  hostilities  have  yielded  to  public  order  and  domestic  peace ; 
all  around,  extensive  manufactories,  the  industrial  arts,  schools 
and  churches,  an  enterprising  and  afiiuent  population,  greet  our 
eyes. 

Who  can  estimate  the  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to  the  men  who 
have  laid  the  foundation  of  domestic  peace  and  social  order,  and 
of  the  literary,  civil,  and  religious  institutions  which  bless  the  com- 
munity in  which  we  live  ? 


APPENDIX.  201 

True,  they  did  not  anticipate  the  abundant  harvest  we  gather 
from  the  seed  of  their  sowing.  And,  indeed,  who  of  us  can  predict 
the  progress  of  society  in  the  next  hundred  years  ?  Ere  that  day 
shall  arrive,  we  shall  have  joined  them  in  their  silent  repose. 
Others  will  then  assemble,  to  celebrate  a  third  centennial.  Who 
can  tell  us  what  shall  then  be  the  population  of  this  town ;  —  what 
new  or  improved  arts  it  shall  then  prosecute ;  —  what  shall  be  the 
amount  of  its  resources,  intelligence,  virtue,  and  happiness ;  —  much 
less  what  circle  shall  then  bound  our  rapidly  extending  country ;  — 
what  shall  be  the  measure  of  her  prowess  and  prosperity ;  —  or 
whether,  ere  that  morning  shall  dawn,  the  American  Republic  shall 
not  be  commensurate  with  the  American  Continent  —  with  the 
entire  globe  —  by  her  institutions  made  free,  intelligent,  and  happy, 
and  brought  into  the  liberty  and  light  of  millennial  day  ? 

Mr.  President,  I  have  exhausted  my  full  share  of  the  time,  and 
I  will  bring  my  remarks  to  a  close. 

Standing,  sir,  as  we  do,  on  the  line  which  divides  the  past  from 
the  future,  let  us  extend  the  hand  of  gratitude  to  the  fathers  who 
have  gone  before  us,  and  that  of  right  cordial  welcome  to  the 
descendants  who  shall  come  after  us ;  and,  as  none  of  us  will  be 
present  at  the  next  centennial  of  the  town  of  Lancaster,  I  propose 
to  submit,  for  the  adoption  of  this  assembly,  the  following  sentiment, 
to  be  presented  on  that  occasion.  I  give  you,  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen :  — 

"Beloved  Descendants  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Lancas- 
ter, —  "Welcome  to  the  i-ich  inheritance  which  we  have  received 
from  our  fathers.  "Welcome  to  the  liberty  which  they  purchased, 
and  which  we  have  preserved.  "Welcome  to  the  fields  which  we 
both  have  cultivated ;  to  our  orchards  and  gardens ;  to  our  comforts, 
homes,-  and  hearts ;  to  all  our  institutions,  civil,  literary,  and  reli- 
gious ;  and,  having  acted  well  your  part  in  the  great  drama  of  life, 
welcome  to  our  sepulchres,  and  to  a  participation  with  us  in  an 
inheritance  incorruptible  and  eternal." 


26 


202  APPENDIX. 

The  Hon.  John  G.  Thurston,  >vho,  after  the  President  had 
retired,  occupied  the  chair,  being  called  upon,  said :  — 

Ladies  and"  Gentlemen,  —  We  cannot  but  feel  that  we  are  greatly 
privileged  in  being  upon  the  stage  to  behold  this  great  and  joyful 
family  meeting,  and  in  witnessing  an  occasion  of  such'  deep  and 
thrilling  interest.  I  have  looked  forward  for  years  with  the  fondest 
anticipations  to  the  time  when  the  friends  of  our  youthful  days,  now 
living,  should  be  gathered  under  the  old  roof-tree,  and  join  in  this 
glorious  revival  of  olden  times ;  and,  although  I  have  anticipated 
much,  I  can  truly  say  that  my  expectations  have  been  more  than 
realized. 

The  occasion  has  served  to  strengthen  the  ties  that  bind  one 
generation  to  another,  and  to  awaken  in  each  heart  more  kindly 
feelings ;  and  there  is  no  one  present,  I  hope,  but  can  say  that  "  it 
is  good  for  us  to  be  here." 

If  there  are  any  among  this  vast  assembly  who  had  any  idea  that 
Lancaster  had  no  distinguished  sons  who  could  speak  for  her,  I 
hope  the  remarks  you  have  this  day  listened  to  may  have  dispelled 
the  illusion. 

Our  friendly  gathering  reminds  me  of  the  reply  of  the  Roman 
matron  to  a  lady,  her  guest,  who  showed  her  jewels,  inviting 
praise  of  their  beauty.  She  called  in  her  children  on  their 
return  from  school,  and,  presenting  them,  said,  "  These  are  my 
jewels." 

In  the  two  cases  there  seems  to  be  this  difference,  —  The  cele- 
brated lady  of  ancient  times,  as  her  children  were  still  young, 
placed  her  glory  somewhat  in  embryo ;  while,  our  children  being 
of  age,  and  having  this  day  spoken  for  themselves,  the  glory  of 
Lancaster  has  been  consummated. 


Remarks  of  the  Hon.  Charles  Hudson,  of  Boston. 

Mr.  President,  —  At  this  late  hour,  after  the  exhibition  of  stir- 
ring eloquence,  noble  sentiment,  and  sparkling  wit,  with  which  we 
have  been  regaled,  I  do  not  intend  to  make  a  speech.     Your  ten 


APPENDIX.  203 

minutes'  rule,  which  has  operated  so  severely  in  some  instances,  is 
just  suited  to  my  case.  I  will  not  violate  the  rule.  "While  I  can- 
not claim  this  town  as  my  birthplace,  I  can  trace  my  ancestors  to 
Lancaster.  Daniel  Hudson,  the  father  of  most,  if  not  all,  who  bear 
that  name  in  this  country,  emigrated  from  England  about  1640; 
and,  some  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  afterwards,  came  to  Lancas- 
ter, and  purchased  a  proprietor's  right  of  Major  Simon  Willard. 
He  had  a  number  of  sons,  some  of  whom,  with  their  descendants, 
remained  here  for  a  long  period.  I  do  not  learn  that  they  were 
particularly  distinguished  while  they  remained  among  you ;  though 
I  believe  that  your  records  show  that  one  of  them  received  a  bounty 
from  the  town,  in  1687,  of  six  acres  of  land,  for  killing  wolves.  My 
grandfather,  the  fourth  in  descent  from  the  original  emigrant,  lived 
in  the  town  of  Northborough.  Pie  had  seven  sons,  all  of  whom, 
together  with  their  father,  were  in  the  service  of  their  country 
during  some  part  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  So,  Mr.  President, 
though  I  cannot  claim  any  royal  lineage,  I  think  I  may  claim  the 
glory  of  having  descended  from  the  town  of  Lancaster  and  the 
American  Revolution.     This  is  honor  enough  for  me. 

The  occasion  which  has  called  us  together  naturally  leads  us  to 
contemplate  the  past,  a,nd  to  compare  it  with  the  present.  The 
wilderness  to  which  our  fathers  emigrated,  and  which  was  at  that 
time  the  home  of  the  savages,  has  long  since  been  converted  into 
cultivated  fields,  the  abodes  of  civilization  and  refinement;  and, 
from  the  exhibition  I  have  witnessed  here  to-day,  I  am  convinced 
that  the  wolves  with  which  my  ancestor  contended  have  given  place 
to  fawns  and  lambs.  .The  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  this 
country  since  the  first  settlement  of  this  town  are  calculated  to  fill 
us  with  astonishment.  What  have  two  hundred  years  accomplished  ? 
But  we  have  no  need,  in  this  country,  of  reviewing  events  by 
centuries.  With  us  a  decade  is  as  a  century  in  other  countries. 
Within  my  own  recollection,  a  wonderful  change  has  come  over  "the 
spirit  of  our  dreams."  I  can  remember  when  some  of  our  bold  and 
adventurous  citizens  actually  emigrated  to  the  New  State,  as  Ver- 
mont was  tlien  called ;  and  some  of  the  reckless  rovers  even  dared  to 
start  for  the  Far  West^  viz.  for  Wliitesborough,  or  the  German  Flats. 


204  APPENDIX. 

Then  came  the  Ohio  fever,  and  many  were  disposed  to  try  their 
fortune  in  that  "Western  World.  But  though  some  were  willing,  in 
the  language  of  the  emigrant's  song, 

"  To  settle  en  the  banks  of  the  pleasant  Ohio," 

none  were  presumptuous  enough  to  think  of  crossing  the  Mississippi. 
But  in  a  short  time  came  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  as 
places  of  attraction ;  and  these  were  followed  by  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia ;  so  that  now  the  Mississippi  is  the  centre  of  the  country,  and 
the  West  is  beyond  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Or  if  we 
turn  our  attention  eastward,  going  to  Europe  is  but  crossing  a  ferry ; 
so  that  for  invalids,  and  seekers  of  pleasure,  to  visit  the  Eastern 
Continent  is  but  going  home  to  thanksgiving.  And  all  these  mighty 
changes  have  taken  place  within  the  memory  of  many  who  are  here 
to-day. 

But,  while  we  rejoice  in  the  extent  of  our  country  and  the 
spread  of  our  population,  we  should  never  forget  our  own  blessed 
New  England.  Let  our  citizens,  if  they  will,  emigrate  to  the  Far 
West ;  let  our  sons,  if  they  must,  leave  the  land  of  the  Pilgrims  to 
seek  "  a  log-house  beyond  the  mountains : "  too  many  of  them  will 
find  that  they  have  gone  from  home.  Give  me  a  place  beneath  the 
shade  of  your  majestic  elms,  and  they  may  regale  themselves  in 
the  oak-openings  of  the  West.  Let  me  look  upon  your  intervales, 
blooming  under  cultivation ;  and  they  may  gaze  upon  their  vast 
prairies,  teeming  with  wild  luxuriance.  Give  me  a  home  on  the 
banks  of  your  beautiful  Nashua ;  and  they  may  settle  upon  the 
Ohio,  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  the  Columbia,  or  the  golden 
Sacramento.  They  may  find  more  extensive  prairies,  denser 
forests,  higher  mountains,  and  larger  streams,  than  exist  among  us ; 
but  they  cannot  find  a  purer  moral  atmosphere  or  better  institu- 
tions. They  must  give  up,  in  some  degree  at  least,  what  makes 
New  England  what  she  fs,  —  the  district  school  and  the  village 
church.  These  are  our  jewels ;  these  have  made  New  England 
the  pride  of  the  country,  the  praise  of  the  world.  Let  the  Califor- 
nian  rely  upon  his  golden  sands,  to  sustain  and  support  that  infant 


APPENDIX.  205 

State,  —  that  first-born  on  the  Pacific ;  we,  of  New  England,  will 
rely  upon  our  schools  and  our  churches,  as  the  ark  of  our  safety. 
These  are  the  monuments  of  our  fathers'  wisdom,  and  to  these  we 
look  for  temporal  and  spiritual  prosperity. 

"  New  England,  my  country,  I  love  thee  for  these." 


20.  The  Carter  Family,  —  early  connected  with  the  history  of  Lancaster;  nume- 
rous in  its  branches ;  respected  at  home,  and  honored  abroad. 

To  this  sentiment,  James  Coolidgb  Carter,  Esq.,  of  New 
York,  responded ;  but  the  Committee  have  not  received  a  copy  of 
his  remarks. 


A  sentiment  being  offered  complimentary  to  the  name  of  Fletcher, 
the  lion.  Thomas  Fletcher,  of  Philadelphia,  responded:  — 

Ml'.  Chairman,  —  After  I  had  retired  from  the  assembly,  I  was 
informed  that  you  had  called  on  me  to  respond  to  a  toast  compli- 
mentary of  the  Fletcher  family.  I  therefore,  in  conformity  with  a 
fixed  rule  of  the  Fletchers,  "never  to  flinch  from  duty,"  have 
returned,  not  to  make  a  speech,  —  for  I  had  no  elspectation  of  being 
called  on,  —  but  to  thank  you  for  the  honor  you  have  done  us,  and 
to  give  you  some  reminiscences  of  the  Fletcher  family. 

My  great  ancestor,  Joshua  Fletcher,  came  from  Chelmsford 
about  the  year  1G80,  and  settled  on  George  Hill^  directly  iiortli  of 
the  present  brick  meeting-house ;  and  his  house  is  still  standing, 
and  in  possession  of  his  descendants.  His  son  John  was  born  in 
the  house ;  and  his  son  Joshua,  my  grandfather,  was  born  and  died 
there,  at  the  age  of  ninety,  without  ever  having  travelled  forty  miles 
from  home.  But  he  was,  in  truth,  a  Lancaster  man  ;  for,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  troubles  of  the  Revolution,  he  was  one  of 
the  Committee  of  Safety ;  and,  Avhen  the  news  reached  him  of  the 
battle  of  Lexingt6n,  he  left  his  plough  in  the  furruw,  mounted  his 


206  APPENDIX. 

horse,  and  j^roceeded  without  delay  to  Concord,  to  join  the  "  rebels." 
Several  of  his  sons  were  called  out  by  the  stirring  times  ;  among 
them  my  uncle  Peter,  who  volunteered  at  sixteen  years  of  age. 
My  father  then  lived  at  Grafton,  and  kept  a  store,  which  he  left  for 
awhile,  and  shouldered  his  musket.  Afterwards,  in  that  dreadful 
winter  of  1778,  when  General  "Washington's  army  were  lying  at 
Valley  Forge,  in  Pennsylvania,  without  shoes  or  clothing,  my 
father,  Timothy  Fletcher,  volunteered  to  proceed  through  the  snows 
of  the  "wilderness,  leading  his  horse,  afoot  and  alone,  with  such 
supplies  as  the  town  could  raise ;  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  reach 
home  in  safety.  But  the  war  did  not  leave  the  defenders  of  their 
country  any  immediate  reward  for  their  toils  :  they  were  impover- 
ished, and  their  children  scattered  over  the  country.  Only  a  small 
portion  of  the  family  now  remain  in  old  Lancaster,  I  will  conclude 
with  thanks  for  your  kind  remembrance  of  our  family. 


The  Rev.  Hubbard  Winslow,  of  Boston,  being  present,  was 
called  upon  to  address  the  assembly,  and  naade  the  following 
remarks :  — 

Mr.  President,  —  I  thank  you  very  sincerely  for  inviting  me  to 
speak,  although  I  rise  not  without  some  hesitation ;  since,  not 
claiming,  the  honor  of  nativity  in  this  town,  I  fear  standing  in  the 
way  of  those  having  a  prior  claim.  As  it  has  been  my  lot  to  pass 
a  portion  of  my  recent  life  among  you.,  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity 
to  express  the  deep  interest  which  I  shall  ever  cherish  in  this 
beloved  town.  Every  hill  and  valley,  every  pond  and  stream, 
every  gi'ove,  and  every  winding  walk  and  drive  through  these 
beautiful  and  wide-spreading  groves,  eveiy  one  of  these  glorious 
old  elms,  speaks  to  my  heart  of  hapj)y  days  passed  here.  More 
especially,  these  familiar  faces  remind  me  of  the  affectionate  sympa- 
thies and  the  abounding  kind  hospitalities  realized  by  myself  and 
my  family  during  my  residence  among  you.  This  was  to  us  a 
"  green  spot "  in  life,  which  nothing  but  duty  could  have  induced  us 


APPENDIX.  207 

to  leave.  We  shall  ever  count  it  a  privilege  to  remember  aud  to 
be  remembered  as  having  a  place  among  you. 

But  I  must  not  dwell  upon  these  personalities;  in  respect  to 
which,  however,  I  could  not  persuade  myself  to  say  less.  We  have 
to-day  enjoyed  a  repast  of  precious  remembrances  of  two  hundred 
years.  The  respected  gentleman  who  furnished  the  entertainment, 
while  sitting  by  my  side  in  the  car  on  the  way  here  last  evening, 
remarked  to  one  of  his  venerable  college  class-mates  near  him,  that 
he  was  in  Lancaster  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  delivered  the  first 
public  address  here.  The  particular  mode  of  his  presence  on  that 
occasion,  I  leave  it  for  that  gentleman's  metempsychosis  to  explain. 
His  ancient  friend  replied  that  he  recollected  hearing  of  the  fact  at 
the  time,  being  also  himself  then  on  the  stage;  and  that,  if  his 
memoiy  served  him  right,  the  address  was  reported  to  have  been  a 
very  indifferent  performance.  I  confess  to  some  anxiety  then  felt 
by  myself  in  anticipation  of  this  morning.  But  I  had  not  sat  long 
under  his  voice  in  the  church  before  my  anxieties  were  dispelled 
by  a  convincing  demonstration  that  our  truly  venerable  orator  had 
not  lived  two  hundred  years  in  vain.  His  faults  seem  to  have  been 
of  the  kind  mentioned  by  Pitt,  —  those  which  time  cures.  A  diligent 
student  and  a  careful  observer  for  two  centuries,  he  has  laid  the 
hoary  ripeness  of  his  intellect  before  us  to-day,  as  a  truly  massive 
and  rich  bicentennial  offering.  Should  he  go  on  as  he  has  begun, 
I  should  covet  to  be  one  of  his  favored  auditors  two  hundred  years 
hence.  » 

But,  sir,  to  be  sobei-,  if  we  are  indebted  to  his  diligence,  he  is  not 
less  indebted  to  the  subjects  which  the  last  two  centuries  have  fur- 
nished. It  is  not  so  much,  after  all,  that  he  is  two  hundred  years 
older,  as  that  the  last  two  hundred  years  have  furnished  facts  of 
transcendent  interest  to  enrich  his  pages,  that  we  are  chiefly  to 
consider. 

The  history  of  our  New-England  fathers !  What  a  theme ! 
Never  will  it  be  exhausted ;  never  can  it  cease  to  interest.  As 
their  portraits  were  passing  in  review  before  us  this  morning,  all 
hearts  instinctively  rose  in  gratitude  to  Heaven  that  we  are  their 
children.     To  them  we  owe  not  only  the  debt  of  filial  gratitude, 


20S  APPENDIX. 

but  the  richest  of  blessings.  Oui-  ears  have  been  entertained 
at  this  table  with  some  pleasantries  touching  their  traditional 
foibles.  I  do  not  object  to  a  little  humor,  but  I  am  disposed  to  be 
sparing  of  it  on  this  occasion.  When  looking  through  a  powerful 
magnifier,  we  see  small  spots  in  the  sun ;  but,  when  we  consider 
our  indebtedness  to  that  glorious  orb  for  light  and  warmth,  for  all 
that  makes  creation  bright  and  lovely,  and  even  for  our  existence 
itself,  we  are  little  inclined  to  speak  of  its  spots.  They  are  buried 
and  lost  in  the  flooding  brightness  of  its  beams. 

Our  fathers !  Their  works  praise  them.  Look  at  these  unequalled 
civil,  religious,  and  educational  institutions,  which  they  have  planted 
and  reared ;  look  at  these  charming  towns  and  villages,  rising  up 
under  their  hands  from  the  dark  bosom  of  the  wilderness ;  survey 
the  scene  of  surpassing  beauty  and  loveliness  spi-ead  before  us 
to-day ;  and  consider  that  all  these  are  the  gifts  of  the  wisdom  and 
piety,  ay,  and  of  the  tears  and  blood  of  our  fathers ;  and  then  say 
if  it  becomes  their  children  to  speak  lightly  of  them,  even  for  the 
commendable  purpose  of  treating  ourselves  with  a  dish  of  wholesome 
humor.  It  is  of  little  avail  that  we  gravely  admonish  our  children 
to  honor  their  ancestors,  after  they  have  seen  us  making  ourselves 
merry  at  their  foibles.  Our  fathers  are  superior  alike  to  our  apo- 
logies and  our  praises.  They  are  like  the  angel  standing  in  the 
sun ;  and  they  challenge  the  homage,  and  defy  the  ridicule,  of  all 
men  to  the  end  of  time. 

Our  thoughts  have  here  been  directed  mainly,  to  our  fathers  in 
the  pastoral  office.  This  is  well,  as  evincing  in  our  regards  the 
predominance  of  the  religious  element.  But  there  are  others  to 
whom  we  are  scarcely  less  indebted.  The  rulers,  counsellors, 
judges,  legislators,  mechanics,  and  the  great  generic  class,  including 
nearly  all  others,  —  the  "  planters,"  —  call  for  our  boundless  grati- 
tude and  everlasting  remembrance.  The  wisdom  and  firmness,  the 
patriotism  and  self-sacrifice,  the  industry  and  perseverance,  which 
framed  our  government,  established  our  schools,  fought  the  bat- 
tles with  our  enemies,  red  and  white,  and  converted  the  howling 
wilderness  into  fruitful  fields  and  gardens,  shall  never  be  recalled 
but  with  grateful  admiration.     We  would  do  justice  to  all,  remem- 


APPENDIX.  ■  209 

bering  that  they  are  members  of  one  body,  mutually  dependent. 
Of  the  several  classes,  there  is  one,  including  the  "  spinners  and 
weavers,"  to  whom  my  friend  from  Clinton  has  referred,  which  is 
rapidly  rising  in  consideration.  In  New  England,  especially, 
manufacturers  of  all  kinds  seem  destined  to  share,  if  not  to  hold, 
the  most  important  rank.  But  the  men  to  whom  I  would  at  this 
moment  more  particularly  refer  are  the  farmers,  —  the  "  planters," 
as  they  were  formerly  called. 

These  are  the  true  original  nobility  of  New  England.  They 
first  laid  the  keen  edge  of  the  axe  to  the  roots  of  its  trees,  and 
plunged  the  glittering  spade  into  its  virgin  soil.  Their  hardy  sinews 
smote  down  the  forests,  and  their  industry  has  made  the  wilderness 
bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  By  their  patient  toil  and  sweat,  we 
all  eat  our  bread,  and  enjoy  our  savory  viands  and  delicious  fruits. 
As  I  look  out  in  every  direction  through  the  uplifted  curtains  of 
this  spacious  tabernacle,  I  behold  on  all  sides  the  most  brilliant 
exhibitions  of  their  taste  and  industry.  To  them  we  owe  these 
green,  sloping  pastures,  covered  over  with  flocks ;  these  rich  mead- 
ows ;  these  waving  corn-fields ;  these  beautiful  lawns  and  gardens ; 
these  orchards  and  nurseries ;  and  even  these  majestic  elms,  vying 
in  antiquity  with  our  venerable  orator  himself. 

More  than  all,  to  them  we  look  for  the  sober  thinking,  the  sound 
common  sense,  which,  in  these  days  of  ultra  notions  and  transcen- 
dental vagaries,  must  regulate  our  social  and  religious  institutions. 
Farmers  seldom  err  in  judgment  on  these  subjects,  unless  their 
credulity  is  imposed  upon,  and  they  are  thus  misled  by  designing 
demagogues  and  innovators.  Give  them  the  facts  in  their  true 
light  and  bearing,  and  they  usually  make  the  right  use  of  them. 
Hence,  the  honest  politician,  the  true  lawyer,  the  faithful  pastor, 
finds  his  best  friends  among  the  farmers.  This  is  the  reason  why 
the  palmy  days  of  the  pastoral  oilice,  and  of  the  other  learned  pro- 
fessions, were  precisely  those  in  which  the  farming  interests  of  New 
England  held  the  pre-eminence. 

We  have  always  been  accustomed  to  look  to  Worcester  County 
as  the  heart  of  Massachusetts ;  and  to  her  farmers,  especially,  as 
models   of  republican   wisdom   and   stability.      If  any   have   been 

27 


210  APPENDIX. 

misled  by  dazzling  speculations  and  distorted  facts,  we  especially 
congratulate  the  farmers  of  this  noble  town,  that  they  have,  as  a 
body,  continued  sound  in  the  faith  of  their  fathers.  We  are  also 
confident  in  the  belief,  that  the  time  of "  sophisters  and  innova- 
tors," who  would  subvert  our  precious  institutions,  is  approaching 
its  end;  and  that  all  the  fai*mers  of  this  great  and  glorious  old 
county  will  soon  again  see  with  ^e  same  eyes  as  the  immortal 
men  who  framed  our  constitution,  fought  our  battles,  and  estab- 
lished our  liberties. 

Were  I  to  offer  a  sentiment  in  this  plaee,  it  would  be  to  this 
effect :  — 

"  The  Farmers  of  Worcester  County.  Of  noble  birth  and 
noble  calling,  may  they  ever  do  honor  to  both ! " 


The  following  remarks,  by  Professor  Russell,  were  made  in 
answer  to  a  toast  referring  to  the  New-England  Normal  Institute  : 

On  behalf  of  my  coadjutors  in  the  enterprise  on  which  we  have 
entered,  and  which  has  just  been  so  warmly  welcomed,  I  should  be 
happy,  were  it  in  my  power,  adequately  to  express  our  wa^m 
acknowledgments  of  the  kind  and  liberal  reception  which  our  pro- 
posals originally  met  from  the  people  of  Lancaster.  Unsolicited 
we  came  among  you,  asking  for  house-room  for  a  school  of  a  pecu- 
liar order,  such  as  has  sprung  into  existence  in  our  own  day,  and 
which,  in  other  countries,  as  well  as  in  this,  is  as  yet  but  a  species 
of  experiment,  —  a  school  for  the  training  of  teachers.  "What!"  it 
was  asked  by  my  friends  in  New  Hampshire,  where  I  had  had  the 
pleasure  of  introducing  and  conducting,  for  several  years,  such  a 
school,  the  only  one  in  that  State,  —  "  What !  propose  to  establish 
another  Normal  School  in  Massachusetts,  where  the  State  already 
supports  some  three  or  four  ?  "  Yes ;  because  the  very  fact  of  the 
liberal  procedure  of  the  State  towards  its  own  public  schools  suggests 
the  probable  prosperity  of  a  private  normal  seminary  for  the  teachers 
of  private  schools,  whose  wants  differ  in  their  nature  somewhat 
from  tlwse  of  the  instructors  of  our  common  schools,  and  for  whose 


APPENDIX. 


211 


higher  and  more  expensive  preparatory  professional  training  the 
State  can  hardly  be  expected  to  become  responsible ;  and  what 
harm  would  be  done,  if,  in  our  elementary  courses  of  instruction, 
we  should  happen  to  afford  opportunity  for  enterprising  young 
persons  to  defray  the  expense  of  their  own  professional  training, 
and  so  relieve  the  State  of  that  charge ;  although,  in  our  more 
advanced  departments,  we  should  be,  at  the  same  time,  engaged 
in  our  more  immediate  design  of  preparing  teachers  for  the  highest 
class  of  our  various  seminaries  of  learning  ? 

The  experiment  was  proposed  to  a  community  capable  of  appre- 
ciating and  sustaining  it.  The  ample  success  with  which  it  is 
already  crowned,  has  stamped  its  legible  sanction  on  the  under- 
taking ;  and  we,  whose  daily  duty  is  to  uphold  it  by  our  personal 
labors,  have  nothing  left  to  wish  for,  but  the  continuance  of  the 
generous  countenance  hitherto  extended  to  us,  and  the  lapse  of 
all-trying  time  to  raiify,  with  his  indelible  imprimatur,  the  work 
whose  inception  you  have  now  so  warmly  hailed. 

We  are  young  as  an  institution  ;  and  modesty  peculiarly  becomes 
us.  We  could  not  afford  to  boast  if  we  would.  But  may  I  not 
be  permitted,  as  a  resident  of  Lancaster,  to  congratulate  my  fellow- 
citizens  on  the  introduction  among  them  of  an  establishment  for 
education,  which,  by  a  favoring  Providence,  has  secured  the  instruc- 
tion of  some  of  the  most  eminent  teachers  of  our  day  in  science,  in 
literature,  and  in  art  ? 

Let  me  conclude  with  a  sentiment,  which,  though  expressing 
but  the  wishes  of  an  individual,  has,  I  am  sure,  the  sympathy  of 
many  hearts :  — 

"The  Elms  of  Lancaster,  which  now  shelter  and  adorn 
so  many  happy  homes.  May  their  shades  henceforward  be  also 
the  recognized  resorts  of  the  dispensers  and  the  recipients  of  *  the 
treasures  of  science,  and  the  delights  of  learning ' ! " 


The  Rev.  Charles  Brooks,  of  Boston,  offered  the  following 
remarks :  — 


212  APPENDIX. 

Mr.  President,  —  There  is  no  time  now  to  say  mucb,  and  I  have 
not  much  to  say  if  there  was  time.  I  hope  that  this  occasion  will 
result  in  giving  an  extended  history  of  Lancaster  to  the  world. 
I  am  sorry  to  know  that  the  records,  made  by  our  ancestors  in 
many  of  our  New-England  villages,  have  been  little  valued,  and 
therefore,  in  many  cases,  destroyed.  Mr.  President,  I  should  as 
soon  think  of  destroying  the  portraits  of  my  deceased  parents. 
These  old  records  of  the  early  times  show  us  facts,  which  no  one 
else  can  show  us,  and  testify  with  the  accuracy  of  a  geological 
fragment,  of  a  bird-track,  or  a  fossil.  When  they  are  destroyed, 
where  are  the  authentic  data  for  a  proper  New-England  history  ? 
That  history  is  yet  to  be  written ;  and  the  records  of  each  town 
are  necessary  to  its  completion.  Will  you  allow  me  to  illusti'ate 
by  a  single  fact?  I  was  recently  examining  the  records  of  an 
ancient  town  in  Middlesex  County,  and  I  found  its  inhabitants  as- 
sembled, by  warrant,  two  hundred  years  ago,  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  deliberating  about  the  establishment  of  a  school.  Grave  debate 
ensued ;  and,  at  last,  with  entire  unanimity,  they  vote  that  "  a 
school  shall  be  established  for  three  months."  But  did  this  vote 
cover  their  whole  purpose  1  Oh,  no !  In  an  emphatic  parenthesis 
they  add,  —  "and  this  school  shall  be  free."  Prophetic 
parenthesis  !  We  of  1853  can  see  that  an  Anglo-Saxon  race,  on 
these  shores,  who  began  their  political  existence  with  free  schools, 
must  soon  come  to  a  declaration  of  their  political  independence. 
These  old  records  show  us  the  fountains  from  whose  sweet  waters 
we  are  daily  drinking  health  and  hope.  They  show  us,  that  we 
are  oftentimes  only  thinking  our  fathers'  thoughts  after  them.  Let 
me  ask  you  all  to  look  after  the  early  records  of  your  several 
towns,  and  see  that  they  are  not  only  preserved  and  new-bound, 
but  carefully  copied,  and  a  copy  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

Mr.  President,  there  are  many  here  who  feel  a  deep  and  growing 
interest  in  this  subject ;  but  no  one  feels  a  juster  concern  than  the 
gentleman  whose  health  I  shall  have  the  honor  to  propose  to  you. 
He  loves  every  thing  that  belonged  to  our  Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  his 
pen  has  done  noble  justice  to  their  names.    A  specirnen  of  his  good 


APPENDIX. 


213 


judgment  and  historical  accuracy  you  have  witnessed  in  the  model 
address  to  which  you  have  listened  this  morning.  Let  me,  then, 
give  you  — 

"  The  Okator  of  the  Day.  We  admire  the  historical  accu- 
racy and  good . scholarship  of  his  head;  but  we,  more  than  all, 
value  that  moral  electricity  of  his  heart,  which  he  must  have  re- 
ceived from  the  Leyden  jar."  * 


21.  The  Castalian  Fountain  in  Lancaster.  Those  who  have  drunk  of  its 
waters  have  not  lost  by  absence  the  influence  of  its  early  inspirations. 

Remarks  of  B.  A.  Gould,  Esq.  of  Boston. 

Mr.  President,  —  Though  honored  by  the  intimation  that  a  word 
is  expected  from  me  in  acknowledgment  of  the  compliment  intended 
for  a  lady  nearly  related,  I  cannot  but  regret  that  common  usage 
confines  the  speaking  to  gentlemen.  Yes,  sir,  for  the  first  time  in 
my  life,  I  feel  like  advocating  the  Bloomer  spirit,  and  requesting 
the  lady  to  acknowledge  the  courtesy,  and  to  do  for  herself  what 
she  can  do  much  better  than  her  brother  can  do  for  her. 

On  returning  to  the  place  of  our  birth  and  our  childhood,  after 
an  absence  of  forty  years,  how  changed  was  the  scene !  The  trees 
had  been  felled  which  sustained  the  far-spreading  vines,  purple  with 
cart-loads  of  grapes.  The  alders  had  been  cut  from  beside  the 
bi'ook,  where  formerly  sported  the  speckled  trout ;  and  the  stream 
itself  had  been  degraded  to  a  straight  and  narrow  ditch.  The  sur- 
rounding wood  had  disappeared.  The  fiery  engine,  Avith  its  iron 
hoof,  had  trodden  down  the  grass  and  the  grain ;  and  even  the  hills 
and  the  hollows  seemed  to  ai)proach  a  common  level.  The  old 
buildings  were  gone;  and,  where  one  house  stood,  a  village  had 
grown  up.  The  face  .of  nature  seemed  changed.  But  onei  thing 
remained  the  same ;  and  that  is  "  our  father's  well."  It  was  a  shaft 
sunk  deeply  into  the  earth,  more  than  half  a  century  ago,  terminat- 
ing in  a  living  spring  of  ice-cold  water,  which  heeds  not  the  drouth, 

*  This  was  given  instead  of  the  regular  toast  of  "  The  Orator  of  the  Day." 


214  APPENDIX. 

nor  the  freshets  above.  This  was  stoned  up  with  slate-stones,  laid 
flatwise,  having  their  edges  smoothly  cut  in  a  circular  form,  present- 
ing from  above  a  beautiful  hollow  cylinder.  The  deep,  cold  spring 
still  flows  silently  at  .the  bottom,  — 

"Labitor  ct  labetur  in  ormie  volubilis  Eevum." 

"  Though  all  be  changed  around  it, 

And  though  so  changed  are  we. 
Just  where  our  father  found  it. 

That  pure  well-spring  will  be. 
Just  as  he  smoothly  stoned  it, 

A  close,  round,  shadowy  cell; 
Whoever  since  has  owned  it. 

It  is  '  our  father's  well.' 
And,  since  that  moment,  never 

Has  that  cool  deep  been  dry: 
Its  fount  is  living  ever. 

While  man  and  seasons  die."  * 

I  take  it,  Mr.  President,  that  "  our  father's  well "  is  the  "  Castalian 
Fountain  "  alluded  to  in  the  toast ;  for,  if  any  water  can  give  inspi- 
ration, I  think  it  may  fairly  be  expected  from  that. 

But,  Mr.  President,  though  I  can  claim  no  inspiration  from  the 
Castalian  fountain,  I  do  most  gladly  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity 
to  state  how  deeply  I  sympathize  in  the  emotions  called  forth  this 
day.  Who,  after  a  long  absence,  could  return  to  his  native  town 
unmoved  by  the  kind,  the  touching  "  Welcome  Home  "  that  greeted 
his  first  entrance  into  the  church  ?  How  beautifully  and  how 
tastefully  was  that  church  adorsed !  and  how  eloquent  and  how 
instructive  was  the  recital  there  of  the  struggles,  toils,  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  and  of  the  blessings  which  have 
followed !  I  cannot  adequately  express  my  admiration  of  the  plan- 
ning and  carrying  out  of  this  delightful  festival.  And  I  beg  leave 
to  thank  the  Committee  for  their  considerate  attention,  and  for  the 
privilege  of  being  present,  and  of  uniting  with  you  in  this  interesting 
celebration.  For  I  feel,  Mr.  President,  that  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here.  It  is  good  for  us  to  pause  a  moment,  and  to  look  around  us ; 
to  look  backward  as  well  as  forward ;  to  consider  the  blessings  we 

*  Miss  H.  F.  Gould's  Poems,  vol.  iii.:  1841. 


APPENDIX.  215 

enjoy,  and  the  evils  and  the  sufferings  from  which  we  are  exempted. 
For  who  can  contemplate  the  life  of  toil,  of  privation,  and  of  danger 
to  which  the  first  settlers  of  this  town  were  exposed,  without  emo- 
tions of  gratitude  and  words  of  thanksgiving  that  we  have  been 
spared  like  sufferings  ? 

The  occasion  on  which  we  meet  is  an  epoch  in  our  life.  It 
affords  an  eminence  from  which  we  can  view  the  current  of  events 
which  has  borne  us  on,  with  accelerating  motion,  from  infancy  to 
the  present  time.  And  who  of  us  all  cannot  profit  by  the  retro- 
spect? For  who  cannot  recall  many  mistakes,  many  errors  in  his 
life,  as  well  as  many  unimproved  opportunities  of  doing  good  ? 
And  thus  the  occasion  may  be  turned  to  good  account.  But, 
aside  from  the  emotions  which  a  visit  to  the  scenes  of  one's  child- 
hood is  calculated  to  inspire,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  half  a 
century,  there  are  other  considerations  which  render  this  centennial 
celebration  useful  as  well  as  jileasant.  It  is  calculated  to  keep 
alive  the  spirit  of  patriotism ;  and  it  behoves  us,  as  Americans,  to 
look  well  to  this.  What  is  patriotism  but  a  love  of  one's  country  ? 
And  where  does  the  love  of  one's  country  burn  brighter  than  ufjon 
the  domestic  altar?  Is  it  not  to  the  home  of  his  childliood  that  the 
long-absent  wanderer  feels  his  fondest  hopes,  his  most  ardent  yearn- 
ings, tend  ? 

"  Breathes  there  the  man  with  soul  so  dead. 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said. 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  landl  " 

Sir,  it  was  this  love  of  country  that  encouraged  our  fathers  to 
endure  privation,  exposure,  and  death,  rather  than  abandon  the 
rights  of  freemen. 

It  is  this  holy  flame  that  from  age  to  age  has  inspired  the 
eloquence  of  the  orator  and  the  strains  of  the  poet.  Yes,  the  last 
lingei'ings  of  consciousness  in  the  dying  exile  hang  around  his  na- 
tive city. 

"Dulces  moriens  reminiscithr  Argos." 
"Dying,  he  remembers  his  dear  native  Argos." 

But,  sir,  we  are  living  in  an  age  of  innovation  ;  an  agfc  of  revolution 


'1 1  6  APPENDIX. 

in  principles  hitherto  considered  fixed  and  settled ;  an  age  when 
unhallowed  hands  are  laid  upon  things  most  sacred. 

The  rapidity  and  ease  with  which  all  parts  of  the  globe  are 
visited,  the  interchange  of  thought  for  thousands  of  miles  with  the 
celerity  of  lightning,  tend  to  weaken  local  attachments..  Even  now 
the  wires  are  being  placed,  which  are  to  unite  China  and  the 
remotest  Indies  with  London  in  one  electric  circle.  And  may  we 
not  expect  to  witness  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  of  fiction,  — 

"  I  '11  put  a  girdle  round  about  the  earth 
In  forty  minutes  "  1 

In  times  like  these,  how  does  it  become  every  reflecting  mind  to 
resist  this  spirit  of  innovation,  and  to  hold  fast  that  which  is  good ! 
Why,  sir,  this  wild  spirit  of  the  times  has  already  changed  some  of 
our  patriotic  citizens  to  cosmopolites.  They  have  already  merged 
their  love  of  country  in  a  theoretic  love  of  mankind.  They  openly 
advise  the  abandonment  of  the  wise  and  prudent  counsel  of  our 
fathers,  —  to  observe  equal  justice  with  foreign  powers,  and  keep 
free  from  all  entangling  alliances,  —  by  which  we  have  so  greatly 
prospered.  Yes,  sir,  they  recommend  the  intervention  of  the  United 
States  in  the  affairs  of  European  powers  !  They  have  become  citi- 
zens of  the  world,  and  would  regulate  the  world's  affairs. 

It  is  hoped  the  number  of  such  is  small.  For,  in  attempting  too 
much,  they  jeopardize  all  that  has  been  gained.  Should  we  not, 
therefore,  strengthen  the  ties  of  home,  cherish  the  associations  of 
youth,  and  keep  alive  the  spirit  of  patriotism  ? 

These  centennial  celebrations,  I  think,  have  this  tendency ;  and 
I  hope  every  town  and  city,  not  only  of  this  Commonwealth,  but 
throughout  the  Union,  even  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  may  follow 
the  example.  Yes,  good  old  Mother  Lancaster,  eldest  daughter  of 
the  county!  long  may -your  children  gather  round  you  and  greet 
you  on  your  birthdays^  as  circling  centuries  roll !  Long  may  you 
remain,  as  now,  rich  in  the  townships  you  have  endowed,  which 
encompass  you  around ;  rich  in  your  soil,  your  placid  lakes,  and 
silver  streams;  rich  in  your  industrial  pursuits  and  exhaustless 
resources ;    but,  like  Cornelia,  richer  far  in  your  jewels,  —  your 


APPENDIX.  217 

bright  progeny,  dispersed  throughout  the  land,  and  carrying  with 
them  industry,  enterprise,  literature,  science,  and  the  useful  arts. 


22.  The  Memory  op  General  Henry  Whiting,  —  the  brave  and  humane  sol- 
dier, the  accomplished  scholar,  and,  in  every  relation  of  life,  the  gentleman  and  the 
Christian. 

The  Committee  feel  especial  gratification  in  being  able  to  asso- 
ciate with  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  of  Lancaster's  worthiest 
sons,  the  following  note  and  the  accompanying  poem,  sent  to  them 
by  his  sister,  Mrs.  Caroline  Lee  Hentz,  of  Quincy,  Florida :  — 

J.  M.  Washburn,  Sec. 

Dear  Sir,  —  Accompanying  this,  yon  will  receive  the  poem,  ^vTitten  to  com- 
memorate the  Anniversary  you  are  about  to  celebrate. 

Will  you  say  to  the  Committee,  of  which  you  are  the  voice,  that  I  consider 
it  an  exalted  pri\'ilege  to  be  permitted  to  mingle  my  spirit  -with  theirs  on  so 
interesting  an  occasion  ?  I  earnestly  hope,  that  what  I  have  "UTitten  may  prove 
an  acceptable  oifering. 

Perhaps  I  have  allowed  private  feeling  to  have  too  great  a  sway  in  the 
tribute  I  send  to  the  memory  of  my  beloved  brothers.  If  so,  I  pray  to  be 
forgiven. 

I  trust  it  may  not  be  too  late  for  the  purpose  designed. 

Most  sincerely  and  respectfully  yours, 

Cakoline  Lee  IIextz. 
QuiNCT,  May  27, 1853. 

Two  hundred  times  the  summer  flower 

Has  bloomed  and  faded  since  the  horn* 

Our  hardy  ancestors  subdued 

The  Avild,  uncultured  sobtudc, 

And  stole  from  Nature's  savage  hand 

This  emerald  of  ovx  granite  land. 

Yes  !  just  two  hundred  years  ago, 

Lancastria  bent  her  virgin  brow, 

While  rites  of  consecration  shed 

The  dews  of  baptism  on  her  head. 

What  though  Time's  chariot- wheels  have  rolled 

Ilnpaiising  o'er  her  bosom's  mould  ? 

StiU,  in  eternal  youth  and  bloom, 

She  smiles  as  when  from  ibrest  gloom, 

Like  the  shy  Indian  maid,  she  came, 

The  gUttering  gems  of  art  to  claim. 

28 


218  APPENDIX. 

Six  generations,  like  the  sheaves, 
Golden  and  ripe,  that  autumn  leaves, 
Cut  down  by  reaping  death,  liave  fed 
The  soil  that,  living,  gave  them  bread. 
Their  dust  is  mingling  with  the  clay- 
That  makes  the  grave-clod  of  to-day  ; 
With  new-born  life  it  tluobs  and  glows 
In  the  sweet  foldings  of  the  rose. 
And  waves  in  majesty  and  power 
In  every  glorious  elm- wood  bower. 
Hark  !  —  'mid  the  long  grass  gently  stirred, 
The  whispers  of  the  past  are  heard. 
On  winds,  that  clouds  of  fragrance  waft. 
Are  borne  its  accents  low  and  soft. 
And  where  the  rustling  branches  wave 
Comes  the  deep  music  of  the  grave. 

Methinks,  the  tide  of  time  rolls  back 
With  mm-muring  flow,  baring  the  track 
Of  centm-ies.     At  first 't  is  traced 
By  Indian  steps  o'er  forest  waste. 
Lord  of  the  mlderness,  his  throne 
The  rock-ribbed  hill,  the  moss- wreathed  stone. 
His  crown  the  bleeding  scalp  of  foe. 
His  sceptre  the  unslackened  bow, 
The  red  man  stormed  the  wild  beast's  lair. 
And  reared  his  wigwam  palace  there. 
But  soon,  like  drifting  leaves,  the  race 
rhes  withering  from  the  white  man's  face, 
Before  whose  pallid  gleam,  each  shade 
Of  darker  life  is  doomed  to  fade. 

Of  many  a  spot,  in  this  sweet  vale, 
Tradition  teUs  a  bloody  tale. 
The  captive  wife,  the  murdered  sire. 
The  slaughtered  babe,  the  burning  pyre. 
The  smoking  roof,  the  rifled  home. 
The  plundered,  desecrated  dome. 
In  characters  of  blood  and  flame. 
The  red  man's  savage  wrath  proclaim. 
But  o'er  this  path,  by  ruin  traced. 
Science,  religion,  genius,  taste. 
With  gilding  steps  have  roamed,  and  cast 
Fair  blossoms  o'er  the  blighted  Past. 
Earth  blooms  afresh,  with  charms  restored, 
It  smiles,  the  garden  of  the  Lord  ; 


APPENDIX.  219 


And  man,  than  angels  only  less, 

To  a  new  Eden  turns  the  howling  -wilderness. 

Hail,  day  of  jubilee  !  in  gathering  bands 
They  come  to  greet  thee.     Some  from  distant  lands 
Stretch  the  soid's  wings,  o'er  mountain,  river,  plain, 
To  bear  to  thee  a  gratulating  strain. 
Oh  !  they  are  present  in  the  spirit's  power, 
And  share  the  deep  joy  of  this  festal  hour  ; 
Conquerors  of  space,  their  native  air  they  breathe. 
Though  round  them,  still,  fair  southern  garlands  "vvTeathe. 
Hail,  Lancaster  !  dear,  lovely,  native  vale  ! 
With  glowing  hearts  thy  children  bid  thee  hail. 
From  north  and  south,  from  east  and  Avest,  they  come, 
Faithful  to  thee,  then*  fu'st  and  earliest  home. 
Steeped  in  thy  piuity,  their  souls  disdain 
Each  grovelling  pui-pose,  each  allm-ement  vain. 
Vice  could  not  tempt  where  thy  pure  image  beams, 
The  guardian  angel  of  life's  darker  dreams. 

Beautiful  valley  !  whether  robed  in  mist. 
By  diamond  stars  or  silver  moonbeams  kissed. 
Or  wearing  noonday  glory  on  thy  broAV, 
While  flowers  and  leaflets,  trembling  vassals,  bow 
Low  at  thy  footstool,  —  fairest  of  the  fail'. 
Thy  brow  must  still  the  palm  of  beauty  wear. 
The  gentle  river,  winding  through  thy  heart, 
In  azui'e  veins,  that  vernal  life  impart ; 
The  grand  old  trees,  that  spread  their  hundred  arms, 
In  shade  and  shelter,  o'er  thy  bashful  charms  ; 
Thy  velvet  greenness,  the  divine  repose 
That  golden  sunset  o'er  thy  bosom  tlu'OM's,  — 
Where  shall  we  find,  though  searching  lauds  and  seas. 
The  elements  of  beauty  such  as  these  ? 
Ah  !  Avhile  the  young,  the  noble,  and  the  gay 
Are  tluronging  here,  to  grace  this  festal  day. 
Are  there  no  missing  forms  ?  Why  come  they  not. 
In  sacred  fellowship,  around  this  spot  ? 
Where  is  the  Pastor,  who  was  wont  to  bear 
The  heavenward  spuit  on  the  wings  of  prayer ; 
Whose  voice  of  solemn  music,  deep,  sublime. 
Comes  echoing  down  the  sounding  aisles  of  Time ; 
Whose  eye  serene  and  holy,  like  the  star 
Of  hazy  skies,  seems  shining  from  afar  ? 
Why  comes  he  not,  to  bless  his  waiting  flock  ? 
—  Silence  and  death  the  asking  spirit  mock.  — 


220  APPENDIX. 

Tiirn  to  yon  tomb,  and  on  its  granite  face, 

Through,  •weeping  boughs,  the  mournfiil  answer  trace. 

"Where  ai'e  the  Soldier-  Brothers,  born  and  bred 

Witliin  this  vale,  —  why  waits  their  stately  tread  ? 

They  who,  where'er  their  warrior-steps  might  roam, 

StiU  tiirned  in  spirit  to  their  native  home, 

And  ke^it  each  household  feeling  green  and  fair, 

As  if  they  were  some  fostering  angel's  care,  — 

Oh  !  where  are  they,  the  noble  and  the  brave, 

"Wlien,  for  their  gi-eeting,  starry  banners  wave  ? 

Alas !  the  grave  reijlies,  —  in  whose  dark  cell 

Lancastria's  gallant  sons  in  silence  dwell. 

"Where  are  the  lords  and  tillers  of  the  soil, 

"Who,  with  their  souls  of  strength  and  hands  of  toil. 

Turned  into  gold  the  earth,  and  bid  it  rain. 

In  showers  of  plenty,  o'er  the  smiling  plain  ? 

"Where  is  the  good,  the  holy,  saintly  band 

Of  God's  beloved,  —  the  worthies  of  the  land, 

"WTio  for  two  hundred  years  have  walked  in  white 

Through  these  green  paths,  and  left  their  tracks  of  light  ? 

Are  they  not  present  ?     Does  no  thi-illing  spell. 

Breathed  on  the  soul,  of  power  unearthly  tell  ? 

Oh  !  by  the  ashes  in  thy  bosom  laid. 
We  bless  thee,  Lancaster.     Thy  shrine  is  made 
A  Mecca,  where  the  pilgrim-spirit  turns. 
To  bring  its  offerings  to  thy  sacred  urns. 
And  by  the  living,  who  tliis  day  surround 
Thine  ancient  altar,  by  one  interest  boiuid. 
We  bless  thee,  Lancaster,     "WTien  Time  has  shed 
Two  centiuries  more  on  thy  vmfaded  head, 
Mayst  thou  still  shine  in  loveliness  and  power. 
And  crown  with  blooming  youth  that  far-seen  ho\u- ! 
And  may  thy  childi'en  then  with  pride  retrace 
The  worth  and  glory  of  the  present  race  ; 
And  when  their  sti'ains  of  jubilee  arise, 
Like  thine,  to  meet  the  blue  and  bending  skies. 
May  votive  Memory  to  that  shrine  repair. 
And  hang  with  reverent  hand  her  garland  there ! 


APPENDIX.  221 


LETTERS, 


[Among  the  many  letters  which  have  been  received,  the  Committee  regret 
that  they  are  able  to  publish  only  the  following.] 

Aug.  15,  1853. 
The  Committee  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  who  were 
present  at  the  celebration  of  the  Lancaster  Centennial,  have  heard 
with  great  pleasure  that  a  permanent  record  of  the  proceedings  of 
that  day  is  to  he  prepared  by  the  citizens  of  Lancaster.  We  can 
only  wish,  as  your  orator  on  that  occasion  did,  that  a  hundred  years 
since  a  like  record  had  beeil  left  by  those  whose  attention  was  then 
called  by  their  own  pastor  to  the  first  century  of  the  history  of  their 
town. 

Nothing  occurs  to  us  which  we  can  ask  you  to  add,  in  this  record, 
to  the  learned  address  of  Mr.  Willard,  or  the  reports  of  the  addi'esses 
made  at  the  dinner.  We  are  convinced  that  every  new  investi"-a- 
tion  into  the  history  of  the  first  planters  of  Massachusetts  Avill  show 
that  their  influence  was  deeply  felt  in  the  world's  history,  on  each 
side  of  the  ocean,  even  in  their  own  time.  The  essay  which  Mr. 
Haven  has  prefixed  to  the  Colonial  Records,  lately  published  in  our 
Transactions,  has  brought  into  clear  light  the  efforts  which  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Massachusetts  Company  made  in  the  great  English 
Rebellion.  In  this  connection,  we  recollect  1G53  as  a  year  of 
interest  to  our  fathers  here,  because  it  was  of  stirring  interest  to 
Englishmen  still  "  at  home."  The  General  Court,  Avhich  incorpo- 
rated Lancaster,  outlived  the  Rump  Parliament;  which,  at  that 
very  time,  Cromwell  was  driving  from  its  seats,  "  to  give  place  to 
honest  men."     And  the  first  news  from  the  old  country  which  your 


222  APPENDIX. 

first  Puritan  settlers  heard  in  their  log-cabins,  after  their  incorpora- 
tion, was  probably  the  eventful  tidings  of  the  great  naval  victories 
which  made  England,  under  Puritan  governors,  the  first  maritime 
power  in  the  world. 

Such  reminiscences  remind  us  of  a  connection  between  the  two 
Puritan  Commonwealths  of  that  day,  England  and  Massachusetts ; 
which,  when  the  history  of  Massachusetts  is  written,  —  as  your  ora- 
tor hoped  it  might  be,  —  will  a^jpear  on  every  line.  The  men  who 
were  most  active  here  were  most  active  there.  Here  they  had  no 
enemies  but  the  forest  and  the  savage.  There  they  had  the  preju- 
dices of  centuries  to  meet  and  to  overthrow.  The  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  lives  therefore.  The  Commonwealth  of  England 
fell.  But  we  here  ought  not  to  forget  that  the  men  who  failed  there 
in  statesmanship  were  the  men  who  succeeded  here. 

For  the  Committee, 

Edw.  E.  Hale. 

To  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Publishing  Committee,  Ac.  &c. 


Cambridge,  June  7,  1853. 
Gentlemen,  —  I  duly  received  your  kind  invitation  to  be  present 
at  the  two-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  Lancaster, 
for  which  I  beg  you  will  accept  my  thanks.  I  have  many  agree- 
able associations  with  Lancaster,  and  should  be  happy  to  revive 
them  on  so  interesting  an  occasion ;  but  my  engagements  at  the  time 
will  not  permit. 

I  am.  Gentlemen,  with  much  respect  and  regard. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Jared  Spabks. 


Boston,  June  1,  1853. 

Gentlemen,  —  I  am  greatly  obliged  by  the  invitation,  which  you 
have  done  me  the  honor  to  send  me,  to  be  present  at  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  two-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  of  Lancaster ;   and  I  regret  that  my  engagements  are  such, 


APPENDIX.  223 

at  the  time  appointed,  as  to  prevent  my  having  the  pleasure  of 
being  one  of  your  company  on  the  occasion. 

I  believe  I  have  always  been  fully  sensible  to  what  is  worthy  of 
admiration  in  your  good  town,  as  regards  the  charms  of  its  scenery 
and  the  character  of  its  people.  It  is  connected  by  the  most 
honorable  associations,  as  well  as  romantic  incidents,  with  the 
early  history  of  our  country.  It  was  the  chosen  residence  of  our 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  very  soon  took  a  prominent  position  among 
the  settlements  of  New  England.  To  me  it  has  a  personal  interest, 
as  the  spot  to  which  my  own  ancestors  removed  soon  after  coming 
to  the  country.  I  heartily  sympathize  with  you  in  the  objects 
of  your  meeting.  In  thus  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  your 
fathers,  you  take  the  best  means  of  recommending  their  example 
to  the  imitation  of  their  descendants.  And  we  can  have  no  better 
wish  than  that  the  piety,  integrity,  and  courage,  which  they 
showed,  in  establishing  our  glorious  institutions,  may  be  showed  by 
our  own  and  by  coming  generations  in  maintaining  them,  —  main- 
taining them  no  less  against  domestic  assault  than  foreign  violence ; 
the  latter,  strong  as  we  are,  the  less  dangerous  of  the  two. 

With  sentiments  of  great  respect, 
I  remain,  Gentlemen, 

Your  obliged  and  obedient  servant, 

Wm.  H.  Pbescott. 


Nashville,  N.  H.,  June  14,  1853. 

Gentlemen,  —  Allow  me  to  return  you  my  thanks  for  your  invi- 
tation to  be  present  at  the  celebration  of  the  two-hundi'edth  anni- 
versary of  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Lancaster. 

I  had  promised  myself  the  pleasure  of  uniting  with  you  on  that 
occasion,  but  am  unexpectedly  prevented  by  professional  engage- 
ments. 

I  recognize,  in  the  respected  and  accomplished  gentleman  who  is 
to  address  you,  one  of  the  instructors  of  my  youth ;  and  there  are 
many  associations,  interesting  at  least  to  myself,  which  connect  my 
regards  with  your  ancient  town. 


224  APPENDIX. 

James  Atherton,  an  ancestor  of  mine,  came  to  Lancaster  two 
centuries  ago.  Dr.  Israel  Atlierton,  my  father's  uncle,  I  Can 
remember,  who  was  long  a  practising  physician  there.  In  my  boy- 
hood, I  attended  the  academy,  then  kept  on  the  old  Common, 
under  the  charge  of  Holman  and  Proctor,  and  of  that  distinguished 
scholar,  President  Sparks,  —  boarding  part  of  the  time  on  the 
Common,  but  most  of  the  time  domesticated  in  the  family  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Thayer,  his  wife  being  my  mother's  sister.  The  walks  to 
school  from  Dr.  Thayer's,  across  the  fields  and  across  the  Dr. 
Atherton  bridge ;  the  fishing  in  the  Nashua  River,  which,  uniting 
its  branches  at  the  Centre  Bridge,  flows  on  until  it  reaches  the 
Merrimac,  near  my  present  residence ;  the  boating  on  its  placid 
waters ;  the  rambles  over  your  verdant  intervales  and  gently- 
sloping  hills ;  the  pastime  under  the  shade  of  your  noble  elms  ;  the 
September  gale  which  uprooted  one  of  the  large  trees  before  Mr. 
PoUard's  window,  where  I  was  then  standing,  and  which  gave  us 
boys  a  holiday ;  the  services  on  Sundays  at  the  old  meeting-house ; 
the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  brick  meeting-house ; 
the  trumpet-tones  of  Dr.  Thayer ;  the  rich  and  unctuous  voice  of 
chorister  Newell,  —  all  these  recollections  of  my  boyhood  throng 
now  freshly  upon  me !  Happy  days  of  boyhood !  which  carry  with 
them  no  sorrow,  except  that  they  pass  so  quickly,  and  never 
return ! 

With  all  these  incitements,  you,  gentlemen,  will  scarce  need  the 
assurance  of  the  disappointment  which  I  feel  in  being  obliged  to 
decline  your  invitation. 

Wishing  you  all  the  enjoyment  which  such  an  occasion  is  so 
eminently  calculated  to  call  forth, 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

C.  G.  Atherton. 


Chaelestown,  Feb.  15,  1853. 
Gentlemen,  —  Your  obliging  favor,  inviting  me  to  attend  a  meet- 
ing at  Lancaster,  the  15th  of  June  next,  to  commemorate  the  two- 


APPENDIX. 


225 


hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  tliat  town,  has  been 
received ;  for  which  attention  please  accept  my  thanks. 

The  proposed  celebration  excites  my  peculiar  interest;  and  I 
shall  be  present  if  not  prevented  by  events  now  unseen,  and  then 
out  of  my  power  to  control.  I  shall  come  up  to  this  filial  gathering 
with  the  sentiments  and  affections  of  one  returning,  after  a  long 
absence,  to  the  paternal  hearth,  to  visit  a  venerated  mother  on  her 
natal  day. 

Though  one-third  of  a  century  has  elapsed  since  I  went  forth 
from  that  home  of  my  infancy  and  youth,  for  a  new  residence  and 
untried  scenes ;  and  though,  in  the  interim,  I  have  been  constantly 
surrounded  by  pressing  occupations,  —  I  can  truly  say,  that  no  one 
day  has  intervened  without  a  vivid  reminiscence  of  my  native  toAvn, 
and  of  paany  dear  ones  there,  both  the  living  and  the  dead. 
I  am,  Gentlemen,  very  respectfully, 

Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

Paul  Willard. 


Boston,  June  14, 1853. 

Gentlemen,  —  I  have  seldom  received  an  invitation  with  more 
pleasure  than  I  have  yours,  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the  two- 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the  beautiful  town  of 
Lancaster.  It  seems  to  me  a  most  appropriate  addition  to  the  very 
few  holidays  in  which  we  working  Northerners  indulge  ourselves ; 
and  no  celebration  can  be  more  proper  for  free  men,  who  value  their 
institutions,  and  rejoice  in  the  blessings  which  come  from  them. 

A  New-England  town,  such  as  Lancaster  is,  is  the  only  perfect 
democracy  in  the  world.  A  town-meeting  is  the  best  place  in  the 
world  for  the  discussion  of  the  great  principles  of  liberty.  There  the 
whole  body  of  citizens  meet ;  and  every  one  has  a  riglit  to  bring 
forward  and  advocate  whatever  he  thinks  for  his  own  good,  or  for 
the  good  of  his  fellow-citizens  ;  and  every  other  individual  has  an 
equal  right  to  oppose,  modify,  or  disprove  whatever  has  been 
advanced.     The  questions  which  come  up  are  the  most  important 

29 


226  APPENDIX. 

that  can  come  up  in  the  intercourse  of  men ;  questions  of  merely 
private  rights,  such  as  arise  on  the  subject  of  fences,  cattle,  and  the 
like ;  questions  concerning  social  rights,  such  as  those  suggested  by 
roads  and  bridges ;  and  questions  involving  the  highest  principles 
of  human  progress,  —  questions  as  to  the  location,  management, 
and  instruction  of  schools  ;  and  questions  relating  to  churches,  and 
the  worship  of  God. 

A  New-England  town  thus  becomes  itself  a  great  school,  the 
noblest  conceivable,  in  which  a  young  man  may  learn  to  under- 
stand, to  value,  and  to  defend  all  his  rights  and  privileges,  as  an 
individual,  as  a  citizen,  as  an  intelligent  being,  and  as  a  creature  of 
God,  born  for  immortality. 

I  believe  it  was  this  universal  training  in  the  knowledge  of  rights, 
this  great  town-influence,  which  made  our  ancestors  capable  of 
carrying  through  the  Eevolutionary  Wai-,  and  which  now  keeps 
them  capable  of  understanding  and  maintaining  their  liberties. 

For  these  reasons,  and  many  others,  which  must  all,  like  these, 
have  occurred  more  vividly  to  yourselves,  I  regard  this  as  one  of 
the  most  suitable  and  reasonable  celebrations  possible.  I  hope  it 
may  be  as  pleasant  as  it  promises  to  be.  I  am  very  sorry  to  be 
obliged  to  add  my  sincere  regret  and  disappointment  at  not  being 
able  to  attend  it. 

Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

Geo.  B.  Emerson. 


Andoveb,  May  7, 1853. 
Gentlemen,  —  The  extreme  sickness  of  my  brother.  Professor 
Farrar,  of  Cambridge,  and  the  probability  of  a  fatal  issue,  must 
forbid  my  indulging  the  hope  of  participating  in  the  festivities  of 
the  anniversary  commemoration  to  which  you  kindly  invite  me.  It 
would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  meet  many  who  were  my  pupils 
sixty  years  ago,  and  of  whom  I  have  always  entertained  an  interest- 
ing recollection ;  and  to  revive  the  remembrance  of  many  families, 
both  in  the  George  Hill  and  the  Neck  Districts,  of  whom  I  have 


APPENDIX.  227 

many  happy  reminiscences.  I  have  always  looked  back  upon  those 
two  winters  that  I  spent  in  Lancaster,  in  the  years  1792  and  1703, 
if  I  recollect  right,  as  among  the  most  pleasurable  periods  of  my 
life ;  and  it  would  now  give  me  great  pleasure  to  meet  many  who 
were  my  pupils  in  those  schools.  My  advanced  age  (being  now 
in  my  eightieth  year),  together  with  the  peculiar  situation  of  my 
brothei-,  obliges  me  to  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  accepting  your 
very  gratifying  invitation. 

With  great  respect.  Gentlemen, 

Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

Saml.  Farrar. 


Speingpield,  July  4,  1853. 
Gentlemen,  —  Your  letter  of  July  4th  was  received  in  due  time, 
and  for  several  days  I  purposed  to  comply  with  your  request,  to 
furnish  a  copy  of  the  remarks  I  intended  to  make  at  the  late  centen- 
nial celebration ;  but  unavoidable  engagements  have  prevented  me 
so  long  that  I  j)resume  it  is  now  too  late.  My  sentiment  loould 
have  been  — 

"  The  Schoolmaster  ; " 

and  I  should  have  expressed,  in  an  entirely  spontaneous  manner, 
my  high  and  profound  sense  of  the  obligation  I  shall  feel,  while  life 
lasts,  of  the  liberality  with  which  the  citizens  of  my  native  town 
have  always  provided  men  of  high  character  and  qualilications  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  instructors  of  youth.  I  should  also  have 
expressed  the  fresh  and  lively  recollection  I  retain  of  the  venerable 
gentlemen  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  imparting  to  me  and  my 
associates,  half  a  century  ago,  the  necessary  instruction  to  lit  us  for 
the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  Several  of  those  gentlemen  are  now 
living,  and  enjoying  a  "green  old  age;"  two  of  whom  —  Samuel 
Farrar,  Esq.,  of  Andover,  who  was  ray  first  male  teacher ;  and 
Ethan  A.  Greenwood,  Esq.,  of  Hubbardston,  who  was  my  last  school 


228  APPENDIX. 

instructor  —  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and  conversing  with 
recently.  I  have  thought  it  proj^er  to  say  thus  much  by  way  of" 
apology  for  not  answering  your  polite  communication  sooner. 

With  very  gi-eat  respect,  I  remain, 

Your  obliged  servant, 

Charles  Stearns. 


West  Point,  Feb.  1,  1853. 

Dear  Sir,  —  Great  as  is  the  desire  I  feel  to  visit  the  home  of 
my  forefathers,  and  to  be  present  at  the  interesting  anniversary, 
to  the  celebration  of  which  you  have  kindly  invited  me,  I  feai*  that 
I  shall  be  unable  to  gratify  my  wishes  on  that  occasion,  as  I  shall 
be  unavoidably  engaged  at  that  time  in  the  labors  of  our  semi- 
annual examination. 

While  expressing  my  sincere  regret  that  I  cannot  be  present  at 
this  gathering,  permit  me  to  express  briefly,  but  truly,  my  hearty 
sympathy  with  those  who  will  then  be  drawn  together  by  their 
affection  for  the  good  old  town  of  Lancaster. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

J.  W.  Bailey. 


Boston,  June  12, 1853. 

Gentlemen,  —  I  regret  my  inabihty  to  comply  with  your  kind 
invitation  to  be  present  on  the  15th  instant,  in  commemoration  of 
the  two-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  Lancaster. 
It  would  have  given  me  much  pleasure  to  have  been  present ;  for, 
though  I  am  not  a  descendant  of  a  Lancaster  family,  yet,-  being 
slightly  tinctured  with  antiquarianism,  I  can  most  readily  and  heai't- 
ily  join  in  paying  my  respects  to  the  memory  of  all  of  olden  time, 
of  whatever  name  or  place.  Those  of  the  present  day  have  a 
duty  to  perform  to  the  pioneers  who  first  explored  New-England's 


APPENDIX.  229 

wilds,  and  who  there  planted  the  seed  whose  germination  has  pro- 
duced the  smiling  fields  that  we  now  inhabit.  But,  aside  from  this 
general  reverence  I  have  for  the  past,  I  feel  a  more  particular 
interest  in  your  celebration,  because  it  was  the  early  home  of  one 
whose  name  I  bear,  and  whose  family  was  connected  with  many  of 
Lancaster's  most  respectable  families.  In  collecting  materials  for 
a  genealogical  and  historical  work  which  has  just  been  published, 
I  gathered  up  many  things  that  were  interesting  about  some  of 
the  Wilders,  Harringtons,  and  others.  They  were  men  of  note  in 
olden  time :  they  left  their  mark  behind  them,  and  descendants  to 
do  them  honor. 

But  that  other  man,  whose  name  I  should  have  been  pleased  to 
represent,  will  have  none  to  speak  for  him.  The  descendants 
of  three  granddaughters,  now  scattered,  are  aU  that  remain  of 
his  family.  Most  gratifying  would  it  be  to  me  if  I  could  be  present 
at  your  meeting,  and  exhibit  the  evidence  I  have  procured,  that 
Samuel  Locke,  President  of  Harvard  College,  was  a  man  of 
great  learning,  and  of  talents  of  the  very  highest  order.  He  was 
"fitted"  for  college  by  Parson  Harrington,  and  with  him  after- 
wards studied  divinity.  He  was  elected  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
first  college  in  the  country  at  an  earlier  age  than  any  who  went 
before  him,  or  who  succeeded  him  ;  "  a  station  for  which,"  says 
the  elder  Adams,  "wo  man  was  better  qualified;  and  "over  which," 
says  a  contemporary,  "  he  presided  four  years,  with  much  repu- 
tation to  himself,  and  advantage  to  the  public." 

But  I  am  growing  prolix,  and  will  close  by  wishing  all  that  may 
assemble,  a  happy  meeting.  * 

I  am  respectfully  yours, 

John  G.  Locick. 

P.S.  I  will  ofier  as  a  sentiment  tlie  following:  — "  Oui:  Fouk- 
FATHERS.  He  who  regardjs  not  the  memory  and  character  of  hi.s 
ancestors  deserves  to  be  forgotten  by  posterity." 


230  APPENDIX. 

The  Committee  have  also  received  responses  to  their  circular 
and  note  of  invitation  from  the  following  persons,  some  of  whom 
were  present  at  the  celebration :  — 

His  Excellency  John  H,  Cmffokb  ;  His  Honor  Elisha  Huntington  ;  the 
Hon.  Samxtel  Hoak,  Concord;  the  Hon.  Ebenezer  Toreey,  Fitchburg; 
the  Hon.  Ira  M.  Barton,  Worcester;  Richard  J.  Cleveland,  Esq.,  and 
Horace  W.  S.  Cleveland,  of  Burlington,  N.  J.  ;  Willlim  H..  Brooks, 
Boston ;  Sidney  Willard,  Cambridge ;  Henry  Fletcher,  Louis\iIle,  Ky. ; 
Alexander  H.  Wilder,  Worcester ;  Alexander  Fisher,  Akron,  O. ;  T. 
H.  Carter,  Boston ;  Dr.  J.  H.  Lane,  Boston ;  S.  V.  S.  Wilder,  Elizabeth- 
town,  N.  J. ;  J.  White,  Lowell ;  Nathaniel  Wilder,  Rockford,  Dl. ;  Nath. 
Peck,  Lynn ;  Luke  Wilder,  Leominster ;  James  Tower,  Lowell ;  Merrick 
Wilder,  Fort  Edward,  N.Y.  ;  Alden  Spooner,  Athol ;  Augustus  Wilder, 
Lawrence ;  Mrs.  Luke  E,ugg  and  Cliildi'en,  Ottawa,  111. ;  Asa  D.  Whitte- 
MORE,  Worcester ;  Nancy  W.  Garfield,  Troy,  N.Y. 


THE      END. 


N  O  T  E. 

Tlic  following  corrections  ;iT(!  to  lie  uiiulc  iu   the  AppciKlix  ;    tli(^  first  error  only   Iwin;,'  :n 
error  of  the  press ;  — 

Ou  page  150,  line  4th  from  bottom,  for  "  ome  •"  read  some. 

On  page  151,  line  2d  from  bottom,  after  "  life  "  insert  the  words  "  she 

feels  richly  repaid  for  all." 
On  page  205,  lino  9th  from  bottom,  for  ''  north  "  read  wc.--t. 
On  page  224,  line  15th  from  bottom,  tor  '•  Newell ''  read  JVnrliall. 


n 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


3  1205  02528  6467 


UC  SOUTHERN  RFfiinrjAl  LIBRARY  '^r^rnjTy 


AA    000  874  628 


